Jtf^ 


« 


The  next  Volume   in  the   Series  will  be 
Uniform  in  Size  and  Price. 

PALESTINE. 

By  Major  C.  R.  CONDER,  R.E. 

Leader  of  the  Palestine  Exploring  Exi-edftioks. 

With  numerous  Illustrations  from  Originnl  Sl<etches  and 
Photographs,  and  accompanied  by  several 

entirely  New  Maps. 


LIFE  or  JOHN  DAVIS, 

THE    NAVIGATOR, 
1550— 1605, 

DISCOVERER  OF  DAVIS   STRAITS. 


CLEMENTS  R.  MARKHAM,  C.B.,  r.R.S. 


NEW    YORK 
DODD,    MEAD    &   COMPANY 

Publishers 


CO 

CO 

CD 


EDITORIAL  PREFACE. 


The  story  of  the  world's  exploration  is  always  attrac- 
tive. We  naturally  take  a  keen  interest  in  the  per- 
sonality of  the  men  who  have  dared  to  force  their  way 
into  the  unknown,  and  so  unveiled  to  us  the  face  of 
mother  earth.  The  interest  in  the  work  of  exploration 
has  been  particularly  strong  and  widespread  in  recent 
years,  and  it  is  believed  that  a  series  of  volumes  dealing 
with  the  great  explorers  and  explorations  of  the  past 
is  likely  to  prove  welcome  to  a  wide  circle  of  readers. 
Without  a  knowledge  of  what  has  been  accomplished, 
the  results  of  the  unprecedented  exploring  activity  of 
the  present  cannot  be  understood.  It  is  hoped,  there- 
fore, that  the  present  series  will  supply  a  real  want. 
With  on«  or  two  exceptions,  each  volume  will  deal 
mainly  with  one  leading  explorer,  bringing  out  pro- 
minently the  man's  personality,  telling  the  story  of  his 
life,  and  showing  in  full  detail  what  he  did  for  the  ex- 
ploration of  the  world.  When  it  may  be  necessary  to 
depart  somewhat  from  the  general  plan,  it  will  always 
be  kept  in  view  that  the  series  is  essentially  a  popular 


25S2(J5 


vi  EDITORIAL  PREFACE. 

one.     When  complete   tlie  series  will  form   a  Biogra- 
phical History  of  Geographical  Discovery. 

The  Editors  congratulate  themselves  on  having  been 
able  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  men  well  known  as 
the  highest  authorities  in  their  own  departments  ;  their 
names  are  too  familiar  to  the  public  to  require  intro- 
duction. Each  writer  is  of  course  entirely  responsible 
for  his  own  work. 

THE  EDITORS. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGB 

i.  home  and  boyhood i 

ii.  peepaeations  for  the  nouth    .        .        .        .13 

iii.  the  first  and  second  arctic  voyages    .        .  34 

iv.  the  third  arctic  voyage 53 

v,  war  services 72 

vi.  peeparatioxs  for  the  south    ....  93 

vii.  the  voyage  to  the  straits  op  magellan        .  ii 5 

viil  progress  of  the  art  of  navigation        .        .  i40 

is.  authorship i  58 

x.  the  ddtch  voyage 1 79 

xi.  the  first  voyage  of  the  east  india  company  195 

xii.  the  last  voyage 211 

xiii.  the  following  up  op  the  work  of  davis. — 

l  by  the  •'  furious  overfall "      .        .        .  226 
xiv.  the  following  up  op  the  work  of  davis. — 

ii.  by  "  sanderson  his  hope  "...  248 

Appendix— On  the  Authorities        ....  266 

Index 271 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  MAPS. 


FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

T.  Dr.  Dee,  John  Davis,  and  Adrian  Gilbert  discussing  North- 

Wcst  Passage  with  Sir  Francis  Walsingham      .       Frontispiece 
(From  an  Original  Drawing  hy  If.  Johnston.) 

2.  John  Davis's  Birthplace  at  Sandridge       .        .         .  facing  page    4 

(From  an  Original  Sketch  by  Captain  F.  G.  D.  Bedford,  C.B.) 

3.  St.  Potrox,  Dartmouth ,,  7 

(From  an  Original  Sketch  by  Captain  F.  G.  D.  Bedford,  C.B.) 

4.  Title-page  of  "The  Seaman's  Secrets"  (facsimile)  ,,  159 

5.  Davis's  Handwriting  (facsimile)        ....  ,,  175 


ILLUSTRATIONS  IN  TEXT. 


Godthaab  District        .      jxige  40 
Sanderson  His  Hope   .  »,     57 

Oai>e  Virgins       .         ,  , 

Scene  in  Magellan  Straits — 
Mount  Sarmiento     .         , 
Cross-Staff  .         .         ,  , 

Diagram  of  Mercator's  Pro- 
jection    .         .         ,  ,,  149 


128 


133 
14S 


Diagram  illustrating  various 

Projections       .  ,    page  151 

The  Cross-Staff    ,  .        „  164 

The   Back-Staff   or  Davis's 

Quadrant  .  .        ,,  165 

Davis's  Autograph  ,        ,,  175 

The  Pi.ed  Dragon  .       ,,  199 


MAPS  {Piuitid  in  Colours). 


The  Northern  Discoveries  of 

John  Davis        to  face  page    35 
Magellan  Strait      .       „  115 


The  Voyages  of  John  Davis 

to  face  page  179 
Search  for  a  N.-W.  Passage  ,,  227 


MAPS  IN  TEXT. 


Cabot's  Map  ,  .  page  15 
The  Zeni  Map  .  .  ,,  18 
Arctic   Maj)  from   Atlas  of 

Ortclius  .         .         ,1     28 

The  New  Mapof  Davis  Strait      62 


The  Azores  .        .        ,      prtge  84 
Sumatra  and  the  Straits  of 

Malacca  .         .  ,,  220 

Spitzbcrgcn  .         ,  ,,  227 

The  Persian  Gulf         .         ,,  263 


LIFE   OF  JOHN  DAVIS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

HOME   AND   BOYHOOD. 

TuE  knowledge  of  the  varied  regions  of  our  earth  is  due 
to  the  devoted  hibours  of  a  few  great  men.  It  is  to 
the  pioneers  of  old,  who  first  opened  the  gates  leading  to 
the  unknown,  who  first  threw  their  light  on  discoveries 
which  were  completed  by  those  who  followed  it — it  is  to 
these  worthies  that  mankind  owes  its  knowledge  of  the 
earth,  and  all  the  consequences  which  have  followed  from 
such  knowledge.  Every  region  on  the  earth's  surface 
connects  itself  with  one  or  a  few  great  names — the  names 
of  men  who  first  threw  a  clear  light  over  an  unknown 
tract,  or  who  were  mainly  instrumental  in  illuminating 
the  previous  darkness.  Hence  it  is  that  the  life-history 
of  a  chief  among  explorers  embraces  the  geography  of 
the  region  with  which  his  name  is  associated.  The  con- 
nection is  inseparable.  Around  the  story  of  a  great 
explorer's  life  the  facts  relating  to  his  discoveries  are 
naturally  grouped.  The  skill  and  fortitude,  the  dangers 
and  hardships,  the  aspirations  and  successes,  of  the  man 
breathe  life  and  human  interest  into  the  physical  aspects 
and  scientific  facts  connected  with  the  region  upon  which 

A 


2  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1550. 

his  labours  threw  liglit.  Biography  is  the  best  vehicle 
for  the  conveyance  and  retention  of  geographical  know- 
ledge. 

The  Arctic  Eegions  are  connected  with  many  a  tale 
of  chivalrous  daring,  with  many  a  heart-stirring  episode ; 
and  such  deeds  are  interwoven  so  closely  with  the  phy- 
sical conditions  of  the  locality,  that  the  one  cannot  be 
related  without  a  knowledge  of  the  other.  This  is  so  in 
all  parts  of  the  world,  but  it  is  more  especially  the  case 
in  the  wild  regions  of  the  North.  Foremost  in  the  front 
rank  of  Arctic  worthies  stand  the  names  of  the  Eliza- 
bethan seamen  Davis,  Hudson,  and  Baffin  ;  and  their 
life-histories  cannot  be  studied  and  stored  in  our  memo- 
ries without  a  sound  geographical  knowledge  of  the 
region  upon  which  their  labours  threw  a  flood  of  light, 
and  the  complete  discovery  of  which  is  but  the  following 
up  of  routes  first  pointed  out  by  them. 

The  England  of  Queen  Elizabeth  was  just  awakening 
to  a  sense  of  her  greatness,  and  of  the  possibilities  of 
her  future.  Men  weie  in  earnest  in  those  days.  The 
example  of  the  great  Queen  filled  them  with  passionate 
loyalty.  Elizabeth  called  upon  them  to  fight  for  the 
liberty  of  their  neighbours,  and  they  doggedly  faced  the 
matchless-  infantry  of  Spain  until  the  cause  of  freedom 
triumphed.  Their  Queen  and  their  country  were  syno- 
nymous terms.  For  Elizabeth  and  for  England  they 
traversed  unknown  seas,  visited  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
and  mastered  all  the  knowledge  of  their  adversaries. 
In  after  years,  when  England  was  disgraced  under  the 
feeble  tyranny  of  the  Stuarts,  men  looked  back  with 
bitter  regret  to  the  days  of  the  great  Queen.  The  uni- 
versal feeling  found  eloquent  expression  from  that  illus- 
trious victim  of  Stuart  malignity,  that  martyr  of  our 


1583.]  HOME  AND  BOYHOOD.  3 

liberties — Sir  John  Eliot.  **  Elizabeth,  that  glorious 
star,"  he  exclaimed,  "was  glorious  beyond  any  of  her 
predecessors.  The  Great  Council  of  the  Parliament  was 
the  nurse  of  all  her  actions,  and  such  an  emulation  of 
love  was  between  that  senate  and  the  Queen,  as  it  is 
questionable  which  had  more  affection,  the  Parliament 
in  observance  unto  her,  or  she  in  indulgence  to  the 
Parliament.  And  what  were  the  effects  ?  Her  story 
told  them.  Peace  and  prosperity  at  home,  honour  and 
reputation  abroad,  a  love  and  observation  in  her  friends, 
consternation  in  her  enemies,  admiration  even  in  all. 
The  ambitious  pride  of  Spain  was  broken  by  her  power, 
the  distracted  French  were  united  by  her  arts,  the  dis- 
tressed Hollanders  were  supported  by  her  succours. 
Violence  and  injury  were  repelled,  usurpation  and 
oppression  counterwrought,  the  weak  assisted,  the  neces- 
sitous relieved,  and  men  and  money  iuto  divers  parts 
sent  out,  as  if  England  had  been  the  magazine  of  them 
all.  She  was  most  just  and  pious  to  her  subjects,  inso- 
much that  they,  by  a  free  possession  of  their  liberties, 
increased  in  wealth  and  plenty."  In  another  speech  he 
pointed  out  how  the  great  Queen  "  made  them  our  scorn 
who  now  are  made  our  terror." 

Brave  Sir  John  Eliot  and  his  contemporaries  might 
well  regret  the  days  of  Elizabeth.  Happy  they  who 
were  privileged  to  labour  for  their  country  during  that 
glorious  reign,  and  to  achieve  undying  fame  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Queen.  Her  sailors  and  discoverers,  after 
long  and  diligent  training,  added  largely  to  geographical 
knowledge,  and  to  the  greatness  and  prosperity  of  their 
country.  They  hailed  from  all  parts  of  England,  but 
certainly  there  was  a  brilliant  and  numerous  band  of 
illustrious    seamen    who    were    natives    of    the    West 


4  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1550. 

Country.  The  Boroughs  from  Bideford,  the  gallant 
Hawkins,  mariners  of  Plymouth,  Drake,  Seymour,  Oxen- 
ham,  Chudleigh,  the  Gilberts,  E,aleigh,  and  Davis,  all 
came  from  Devonshire,  and  all  added  to  the  glories  of 
the  reign  of  the  great  Queen. 

In  the  Elizabethan  age  there  was  activity  and  capa- 
city, and  consequent  achievement  on  all  sides.  It  was 
the  age  of  Shakespeare  and  Spenser,  of  Bacon  and  Cecil, 
of  Hakluyt  and  Camden  ;  but  it  was  also  the  age  of 
Vere  and  Norris,  of  Raleigh,  Drake,  and  Hawkins. 
The  greatest  among  these  steadfast  workers  rise  above 
their  fellows  as  beacon-lights  for  future  generations. 
As  the  Elizabethan  statesmen  raised  England  to  the 
first  rank  among  the  nations,  as  the  poets  attained  an 
excellence  never  since  surpassed,  as  the  soldiers  founded 
a  school  which  opens  our  modern  military  history,  so 
among  the  mariners  there  were  men  who  serve  as 
beacons  and  centres  for  the  study  alike  of  maritime 
discovery  and  of  geography.  Drake  and  Cavendish 
were  our  first  circumnavigatoi^s ;  the  opening  chapter 
of  our  connection  with  the  East  Indies  is  headed  by 
the  name  of  Lancaster ;  Guiana  and  Virginia  are 
coupled  for  ever  with  the  name  of  Sir  Walter  Baleigh, 
and  the  Arctic  Regions  with  that  of  John  Davis, — one 
of  the  ablest,  and  certainly  the  most  scientific,  of  the 
Queen's  West  Country  sailors.  It  is  with  John  Davis, 
bis  discoveries,  and  the  stirring  history  of  his  sea-ser- 
vices, that  we  now  have  to  do. 

John  Davis  was  born  at  Sandridge,  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Dart,  between  Totnes  and  Dartmouth,  in  about 
the  year  1550,  and  his  brother  Edward  was  a  year  or 
two  younger.  They  were  the  sons  of  a  yeoman  who 
owned  a  small  freehold  in  Sandridge,  a  manor  in  the 


1583.]  HOME  AND  BOYHOOD.  5 

parish  of  Stoke  Gabriel,  of  which  a  branch  of  the 
Pomeroy  family  had  been  lords  since  the  days  of 
Edward  III. 

Stoke  Creek  is  the  little  harbour  for  Stoke  Gabriel. 
To  the  south  are  the  wooded  slopes  of  Sandridge,  rising 
from  the  river.  At  the  head  of  the  creek  is  the  old 
church,  with  its  spreading  yew-tree  in  the  churchyard. 
A  graceful  screen  of  carved  oak,  with  figui'es  of  saints 
painted  in  the  lower  panels,  separates  the  chancel  and 
its  aisles  from  the  nave,  and  there  is  an  old  pulpit 
carved  with  grapes  and  vine-leaves.  Mural  tablets 
preserve  the  memory  of  the  Pomeroys,  and  in  the 
worm-eaten  parish  register  are  the  records  of  the  mar- 
riage of  John  Davis  and  the  baptisms  of  his  children. 
The  little  village  clusters  round  the  church,  and  a 
Devonshire  lane  leads  by  walls  covered  with  valerian 
and  pennywort,  and  past  a  pond  full  of  yellow  iris,  to 
the  woods  and  meadows  of  Sandridge,  approaching  them 
from  the  landward  side. 

The  manor-house  of  the  Pomeroys  stood  on  an  emi- 
nence overlooking  the  river,  surrounded  by  woods,  near 
the  site  of  the  present  seat  of  the  Baroness  de  Yerte, 
which  was  built  by  Lord  Ashburton  about  eighty  years 
ago.  Tliis  site  is  flanked  by  a  ravine,  at  the  head  of 
which  a  farmhouse  faces  bright  green  pastures,  which 
slope  gently  down  to  a  creek  of  the  river.  On  the  left 
are  the  Sandridge  woods,  rising  from  the  beach  up  steep 
slopes,  with  masses  of  honeysuckles  and  dog-roses  hang- 
ing over  the  branches  and  almost  touching  the  water. 
To  the  right  are  groves  of  splendid  old  elms  and  oaks, 
which  separate  the  grounds  of  the  manor-house  from 
the  small  freehold,  as  it  was  then,  which  was  the  home 
of  John  Davis  in  his  boyhood. 


3  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1550. 

The  house  at  Sandridge  was  only  separated  from  the 
cove  by  two  or  three  pastures,  and  when  the  two  boys, 
John  and  Edward  Davis,  ran  down  to  their  boat  and 
pushed  out  into  mid-stream,  a  lovely  scene  met  their 
view.  The  Dart,  in  this  part  of  its  course,  widens  out, 
and  has  all  the  appearance  of  a  lake  surrounded  by 
wooded  hills.  Along  the  northern  side  are  the  woods 
of  Sandridge  and  Wadditon,  with  the  hills  rising  into 
craggy  ridges  to  the  east.  Here  the  leafy  boughs  touch 
the  water  at  high  tide,  and  when  the  river  is  low,  there 
is  a  beach  where  fishermen  spread  their  nets  and  haul 
up  ten  and  twelve-pound  salmon.  On  the  west  side  there 
is  a  bold  promontory ;  and  the  picturesque  village  of 
Dittisham,  surrounded  by  plum-orchards,  runs  along  the 
lowland  of  the  isthmus  from  one  reach  of  the  river 
to  another.  The  view  to  the  south  is  closed  in  by  the 
richly  wooded  heights  crowned  by  Greenway  Court,  the 
ancestral  home  of  the  Gilberts.  Here  the  river  narrows 
at  Anchor  Rock,  and  flows  down  for  two  miles  and 
a  half  to  Dartmouth.  At  high  tide  this  lake-like  reach 
between  Sandridge  and  Greenway  is  one  expanse  of 
water.  When  the  tide  is  low,  there  is  a  dry  flat  in  the 
centre,  along  the  edge  of  which  herons  may  be  seen 
fishing ;  and  if  disturbed  by  a  boat,  they  rise  on  the 
wing,  and  flap  lazily  away  to  their  nests  in  Sharpham 
Wood. 

Kind  friends  and  neighbours  dwelt  around  this  reach 
of  the  Dart.  The  Davis  boys  in  their  skiff  had  a  sure 
welcome,  whether  they  steered  west,  or  east,  or  south. 
Many  a  time  they  pulled  across,  or  round  the  flat  if  it 
were  low  tide,  and  landed  under  the  wooded  height  of 
Greenway — home  of  a  brotherhood  of  naval  heroes. 
John   and    Humphrey   Gilbert  were  some  years  older 


1583.]  HOME  AND  BOYHOOD.  7 

than  John  Davis,  but  their  younger  brother,  Adrian, 
was  nearly  the  same  age,  and  the  half-brothers  Carew 
and  Walter  Raleigh  were  a  few  years  younger.  When 
boys  together,  Humphrey  and  Adrian  Gilbert,  "Walter 
Raleigh,  and  John  Davis  must  often  have  made  excur- 
sions down  the  river  to  Dartmouth.  In  those  days  the 
landlocked  little  harbour  was  much  frequented,  and 
ships  were  built  in  the  dockyard  at  Hardness.  The 
boys  might  sit  on  the  stone  steps  and  parapets  of  the 
wharf,  and  listen  for  hours  to  the  tales  of  mariners  from 
all  parts  of  the  world,  till  their  young  hearts  thrilled 
with  longing  to  seek  honour  and  fame  on  the  great 
deep.  The  voyages  of  English  ships  were  being  extended 
in  several  directions.  When  the  young  friends  on  the 
Dart  were  still  at  school,  John  Hawkins  was  visiting 
the  coast  of  Guinea  and  the  West  Indies,  while  the  ser- 
vants of  the  Muscovy  Company  were  striving  to  "  pur- 
chase perpetual  fame  and  renown  "  by  wrestling  with 
the  ice-floes  in  the  Kara  Sea.  Theie  were  old  sailors 
who  had  made  voyages  to  Guinea  and  to  the  White  Sea 
many  yeai-s  before.  Dartmouth  was  a  great  resort  of 
sailors,  and  the  boys  would  have  had  many  opportunities 
of  listening  to  their  yarns.  They  would  see  the  tall 
ships  appearing  between  the  beetling  cliffs  at  the  har- 
bour mouth,  and  the  weather-beaten  crew  landing  at 
the  quay  with  many  a  strange  curiosity  from  foreign 
shores.  They  would  be  impressed  by  the  sight  of  the 
God-fearing  among  them — and  there  were  not  a  few 
such — wending  their  way  to  the  little  church  of  St. 
Peti-ox  to  offer  up  thanks  for  their  safe  return.  Stand- 
ing on  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  where  the  ships  rounded 
the  point  and  ran  into  the  landlocked  haven,  St. 
Petrox — dedicated  to  a  native  Devon  saint — seemed  to 


8  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1550. 

be  the  first  to  welcome  their  return.  Its  parapet  wall 
was  a  fine  look-out,  whence  the  boys  could  descry  the 
white  sails  on  the  horizon,  and  the  great  expanse  of  sea 
which  they  longed  to  sail  over,  and  so  get  their  chance 
of  "  puichasing  renown  both  to  themselves  and  their 
country." 

Greenway  Court  and  a  trip  to  Dartmouth  with  the 
Gilberts  was  not  the  only  attraction  for  young  Davis. 
When  he  shot  his  boat  out  of  Sandiiidge  Creek,  while 
Greenway  was  in  full  view  on  one  hand,  the  tower  of 
Dittisham  church  rose  from  a  valley  full  of  plum- 
orchards  on  the  other;  and  on  the  hill,  about  a  milo 
away,  stood  the  manor-house  or  barton  of  Bozomzele. 
This  old  house  is  still  standing.  The  doorways  have 
pointed  arches,  and  it  contains  a  large  hall.  It  is  now 
a  farmhouse,  and  is  one  of  the  meets  for  the  beagles  of 
the  Brilanniti  cadets.  In  the  sixteenth  century  it  was 
the  pleasant  seat  of  Sir  John  Fulford,  who  inherited  it 
owing  to  his  great-grandfather.  Sir  Baldwin  Fulford, 
having  married  the  heiress  of  Sir  John  Bozom.  Hero 
Sir  John  often  resided  with  his  wife  Lady  Dorothy, 
daughter  of  John  Bourchier,  Earl  of  Bath,  and  his  six 
children.  The  visits  both  of  John  Davis  and  of  Adrian 
Gilbert  were  welcome  at  Bozomzele  to  children  of  about 
their  own  age.  The  sons  were  John  and  Andrew,  and 
there  were  four  blooming  daughters — Faith,  Elizabeth, 
Anne,  and  Cecilia.  The  eldest  is  not  mentioned  by  the 
Heralds  of  King  James  in  their  Visitations,  probably 
owing  to  a  reason  which  will  be  referred  to  farther  on, 
and  which  would  make  her  brother  at  Great  Fulford 
unwilling  to  allude  to  her ;  but  the  name  is  given  by 
Westcote,  whose  local  information  was  far  more  complete 
than  that  of  the  Heralds. 


1583.1  HOME  AND  BOYHOOD.  9 

This  intimacy  at  Bozomzele  led  to  the  marriage,  in 
after  years,  of  Faith  Fulford  with  John  Davis,  and  of 
the  widow  of  Andrew  Fulford  with  Adrian  Gilbert. 
Another  neighbour  of  the  Sandridge  folks  was  Richard 
Holway  of  Watton  or  Wadditon,  who  afterwards  sold 
his  estate  to,  or,  as  some  say,  was  cozened  out  of  it  by  ono 
Adams,  the  husband  of  another  of  the  Fulford  girls. 

John  Davis  certrfinly  received  a  classical  education, 
but  he  was  not  in  the  same  social  position  as  the  Gil- 
berts and  Fulfords,  The  Grammar-school  at  Totnes  was 
founded  in  1554,  and  he  may  have  attended  there;  but 
it  seems  clear  that  he  went  to  sea  at  an  early  age,  and 
was  probably  absent  from  home  for  many  years.  We 
first  get  sight  of  him  again  in  1579,  when  he  was 
twenty-eight  years  of  age.  During  the  interval  Davis 
had  not  only  become  an  experienced  sailor,  specially 
expert  in  the  scientific  branch  of  his  profession,  but  was 
also  a  man  whose  capacity  was  recognised  beyond  the 
limits  of  his  own  West  Country  circle.  The  character 
of  his  services  is  unknown  to  us,  and  there  is  no  record 
preserved  of  his  early  life  at  sea.  He  appears  suddenly, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  as  a  captain  of  known  valour 
and  conduct,  in  whom  merchants  and  other  adventurers 
were  willing  to  repose  trust  and  confidence. 

His  comrades  at  Greenway  had  also  made  their  way 
in  the  world.  John,  the  eldest  of  the  Gilberts,  was 
established  at  Greenway  and  Compton  as  an  active 
magistrate.  Humphrey,  after  an  education  at  Eton  and 
Oxford,  had  served  with  distinction  in  Ireland,  had  gal- 
lantly led  the  volunteers  at  Flushing  and  Goes  against 
the  flower  of  the  Spanish  infantry,  and  had  finally 
devoted  his  energies  to  schemes  of  discovery  and  colo- 
nisation.     His    famous    discourse    on    the    North- West 


10  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [155a 

Passage  displays  much  classical  learning,  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  then  conditions  of  the  problem,  and  a 
noble  spirit  of  patriotic  devotion.  In  1578  he  made  his 
first  voyage  to  the  West ;  soon  afterwards  he  obtained 
a  patent  for  colonising  newly-discovered  lands,  and  in 
1583  he  sailed  with  five  ships  with  the  object  of  form- 
ing a  settlement  in  Newfoundland.  One  vessel  deserted 
him,  another  Avas  lost.  The  return  voyage  had  to  be 
made  in  the  Golden  Hind  and  the  little  Squirrel  of  ten 
tons.  Gilbert  was  urged  to  go  on  board  the  larger  and 
safer  ship,  but  he  replied,  "  I  will  not  forsake  my  little 
company  going  homeward,  with  whom  I  have  passed  so 
many  storms  and  perils."  The  Hind  kept  as  near  her 
consort  as  possible,  but  a  violent  storm  arose  off  the 
Azores.  Captain  Hayes  of  the  Hind  saw  Sir  Humphrey 
sitting  abaft  with  a  book  in  his  hand,  and  heard  him  cry 
out,  "  Courage,  my  lads !  we  are  as  near  to  heaven  by 
sea  as  by  land."  The  same  night  the  little  Squirrel's 
light  suddenly  disappeared,  and  nothing  more  was  ever 
seen  of  her.  A  squirrel  was  the  crest  of  the  Gilberts. 
Thus  did  one  of  the  boys  who  had  listened  so  eagerly  to 
the  yarns  of  sailors  on  Dartmouth  quay  win  his  way 
to  fame.  He  died  prematurely,  but  not  before  he  had 
made  his  name  immortal.  It  was  as  he  would  have 
desired.  "  He  is  not  worthy  to  live  at  all,"  he  exclaimed 
at  the  close  of  his  discourse  on  the  North-West  Passage, 
"  who  for  fear  or  danger  of  death  shunneth  his  country's 
service  or  his  own  honour,  since  death  is  inevitable  and 
the  fame  of  virtue  immortal." 

The  other  boys  lived  on,  strengthened  and  invigorated 
in  their  struggle  for  fame  by  the  glorious  example  of 
their  comrade.  Adrian  Gilbert  was  a  man  of  consider- 
able learning,  a  doctor  of  medicine,  a  mineralogist,  a  very 


1583.]  HOME  AND  BOYHOOD.  11 

able  mathematician,  and  an  ardent  promoter  of  geogra- 
phical discovery.  Walter  Ealeigh  was  three  years  at 
Oxford  with  Hakluyt  and  Camden,  and  went  in  1569 
to  serve  with  the  Huguenots  in  France,  fighting  at  the 
battles  of  Jarnac  and  Moncontour,  and  not  returning 
home  until  1575.  He  probably  undertook  a  voyage  to 
the  West  Indies  in  1577,  made  the  voyage  with  his 
brother  Humphrey  Gilbert  in  1578,  and  did  good  ser- 
vice in  Ireland  in  1580.  In  the  year  1582  Raleigh  had 
become  a  favourite  of  the  Queen,  and  was  placed  in 
a  position  to  do  still  more  valuable  service  to  his 
country.  A  learned  scholar,  with  ripe  experience  both 
as  a  soldier  and  a  sailor,  and  full  of  zeal  for  dis- 
covery, this  comiade  of  Davis's  boyhood  had  also  won 
his  way  to  a  front  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  Elizabethan 
worthies. 

John  Davis  returned  home  in  1579,  and  passed  the 
next  six  years  partly  at  Sandridge  and  partly  in  Lon- 
don. Adrian  Gilbert  was  then  living  in  a  house  at 
Sandridge.  He  probably  rented  the  manor-house  of 
the  Pomeroys.  He  married  the  widow  of  Andrew 
Fulford,  and  was  in  constant  companionship  with  the 
friend  of  his  boyhood.  The  young  ladies  at  Bozom- 
zele  were  still  single,  and  John  Davis,  now  a  gallant 
sea-captain,  was  able  to  renew  the  happy  friendships  of 
his  boyish  days.  The  visits  to  Bozomzele  bore  fruit. 
The  parish  register  at  Stoke  Gabriel  records  the  mar- 
riage of  John  Davis  and  Faith  Fulford  on  September 
29,  1582,  and  the  fact  that  John  Davis  had  a  child 
christened  Gilbert  on  the  27th  of  March  1583.  The 
other  Miss  Fulfords  were  married  in  the  neighbourhood, 
Anne  to  Master  English  of  Totnes,  Elizabeth  to  Thomas 
Gary  of  Gary  Barton,  and  Cecilia  to  Master  Adams  of 


12  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15S0-83. 

Wadditon.     Adrian  Gilbert,  as  we  have  seen,  was  mar- 
ried to  the  sister-in-law  of  Davis's  wife. 

The  spirit-stirring  discourses  of  Sir  Humphrey  Gil- 
bert, followed  so  quickly  by  his  glorious  death  at  sea, 
must  have  made  a  deep  impression  on  his  brother  and 
on  Davis.  They  too  were  filled  with  the  desire  to  extend 
the  trade  and  power  of  England  through  discoveries  in 
unknown  regions,  and  especially  by  the  solution  of  the 
North-West  Passage  problem.  As  early  as  1 5  79  they  had 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  famous  philosopher  at 
Mortlake,  and  had  discussed  with  him  the  prospects  of 
a  Northern  voyage  of  discovery.  Dr.  Dee  mentions  in 
his  journal  that  on  June  3,  1580,  "  Mr.  Adrian  Gilbert 
and  John  Davys  rode  homeward  into  Devonshire,"  after 
having  had  conferences  with  the  learned  mathematician 
on  subjects  in  which  they  were  all  deeply  interested. 
This  was  before  the  last  voj'age  of  Plumphrey  Gilbert, 
and  his  death  only  inspired  the  friends  with  fresh  zeal 
to  fulfil  his  wishes,  and  take  up  the  great  work  where 
he  had  left  it.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  joined  them,  not 
only  with  sympathy  and  encouragement,  but  with  more 
substantial  aid.  Thus  were  the  comrades  who  had 
shared  in  many  a  boyish  adventure  along  the  banks  of 
the  Dart,  and  who  had  passed  so  many  happy  days  of 
their  youth  speculating  on  the  wonders  of  foreign  coun- 
tries, now  joined  together  in  a  great  and  memoiable 
enterprise.  Then  they  were  boys,  full  of  inquiry  and 
curiosity,  who  longed  for  the  time  when  they  too  might 
add  to  the  renown  of  England.  Their  early  enthusiasm, 
aided  by  capacity  for  hard  work  and  the  desire  to  do 
well,  had  borne  rich  fruit.  Now  they  were  qualified  to 
become  the  pioneers  of  English  discovery  in  the  Arctic 
Regions. 


CHAPTER  II. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH. 

The  house  of  Dr.  Dee  at  Mortlake  contained  one  of  the 
finest  private  libraries  then  existing  in  England,  includ- 
ing valuable  manuscripts,  maps,  and  charts,  while  among 
instruments  was  the  cross-staff  used  by  Chancellor  in 
his  famous  voyage  to  the  White  Sea.  Here  the  philo- 
sopher was  frequently  visited  by  sea-captains  and  men 
about  to  undertake  distant  enterprises,  and  he  was  con- 
sulted by  statesmen  as  well  as  by  the  Queen  herself.  He 
drew  up  a  memoir  on  her  Majesty's  right  to  Noi-um- 
bega  and  to  the  unknown  parts  adjacent,  and  in  1583 
he  had  prepared  a  learned  report  on  the  i-eform  of  the 
calendar. 

On  the  23rd  of  January  1584  two  men  were  sitting 
in  the  library  at  Mortlake  engaged  in  earnest  conver- 
sation. One  was  in  the  prime  of  life,  tall  and  hand- 
some, with  an  eager,  intelligent  countenance,  and 
equipped  for  a  journey.  The  other  was  an  elderly 
man,  with  a  long  beard  as  white  as  milk,  and  a  clear, 
sanguine  complexion,  dressed  in  a  loose  gown  with 
hanging  sleeves.  His  eyes  were  unnaturally  bright 
and  wandering,  as  if  they  were  used  to  peer  into 
occult  and  forbidden  mysteries.  Dr.  Dee  and  Adrian 
Gilbert  were  deep  in  the  consideration  of  the  new  pro- 


14  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1583. 

ject  for  Arctic  discovery,  when  a  visitor  was  announced. 
It  was  the  Secretary  of  State,  Sir  Francis  Walsingham, 
who  had  called  on  his  way  down  the  river  to  Greenwich. 
Walsingham  was  a  sedate  and  cautious  man,  yet  he 
became  so  interested  in  the  conversation  when  it  was 
continued  in  Ids  presence,  that  he  expressed  a  desire  to 
hear  the  subject  of  Northern  discovery  discussed  before 
him  in  all  its  bearings.  It  was  arranged  that  there 
should  be  a  meeting  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Beale,  a  mutual 
friend,  on  the  very  next  day.  Accordingly,  Dr.  Dee, 
Adrian  Gilbert,  and  John  Davis  met  the  Secretary  of 
State  on  the  24th  of  January  in  an  interview  where, 
as  Dr.  Dee  tells  us,  "  only  we  four  were  secret,  and  we 
made  Mr.  Secretary  privie  of  the  North-West  Passage, 
and  all  charts  and  rutters  were  agreed  upon  in  general." 
In  other  words,  the  experienced  sailor  and  his  friend, 
with  the  help  of  the  profound  mathematician  and  cos- 
mographer,  placed  before  the  statesman  the  then  exist- 
ing knowledge  of  the  northern  regions  derived  from 
the  results  of  former  voyages,  and  thus  enabled  him  to 
grasp  the  subject,  and  come  to  a  conclusion  respecting 
the  wisdom  of  undertaking  such  an  enterprise.  If  we 
now  take  a  similar  review  of  what  had  been  done  before 
the  voyage  of  Davis,  we  shall  be  able  to  understand  the 
point  of  view  from  which  the  great  navigator  and  his 
supporters  arranged  their  plans  and  based  their  hopes 
of  success,  as  well  as  the  grounds  on  which  they  obtained 
the  support  of  Sir  Francis  Walsingham. 

Our  Elizabethan  ancestors  knew  nothing  of  the  sagas 
of  the  Norsemen,  which  were  brought  to  light  by  Pro- 
fessor Rafn  in  our  time,  and  showed  that  Greenland 
and  the  eastern  coast  of  North  America  were  visited 
and  colonised  from  Iceland  several  centuries  before  the 


1585] 


PKEPAEATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH. 


15 


first  voyage  of  Columbus.  They  had  dim  traditions  of 
the  wonderful  discovery  made  by  Friar  Nicholas  of  Lynn, 
and  of  voyages  to  Iceland  from  Lynn  and  Bristol ;  but 
no  positive  information  could  be  derived  from  these 
stories.  Nor  were  the  more  recent  voyages  of  John  and 
Sebastian  Cabot  of  much  more  use.  For  the  charts 
and  papers  of  Sebastian  had  been  taken  from  him  in  the 
time  of  Queen  Mary,  and  intrusted  to  a  certain  Master 
Worthington,  who  probably  handed  them  over  to  Philip 


FROM  CABOT'S  MAPS. 


of  Spain.  All  that  was  accessible  in  England  was  com- 
prised in  the  famous  mappemonde  drawn  by  Sebastian 
Cabot  himself,  a  copy  of  which,  executed  by  Clement 
Adams,  was  hung  up  in  the  privy  gallery  at  Whitehall. 
It  showed  the  "  Prima  Vista  "  of  Cape  Breton,  being 
the  first  land  seen  by  John  Cabot  in  1497,  the  land  of 
Bacalhaos  or  Newfoundland,  and  the  coast  of  Labrador 
to  about  60°  N.  A  knowledge  of  these  coasts  had  been 
improved  by  subsequent  voyagers.     In  1500  the  Por- 


16  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15S3. 

tuguese  navigator,  Caspar  de  Cortereal,  sailed  along  the 
coast  of  Labrador,  a  name  derived  from  the  natives 
be  brought  to  Lisbon,  who  were  believed  to  be  good 
labourers.  The  land  he  visited  is  shown  on  a  Portu- 
guese chart  of  1504  as  "Terra  de  Corte  Real."  The 
name  of  Bacalhaos  (which  means  codfish)  is  given  to 
Newfoundland.  Estevao  Gomez,  in  a  Spanish  ship, 
also  made  a  voyage  to  the  fisheries.  Many  vessels  from 
England,  France,  Portugal,  and  the  Basque  Provinces 
of  Spain,  following  these  pioneers,  yearly  undertook 
voyages  to  the  fishery  of  Newfoundland;  and  in  1534 
Jacques  Cartier  discovered  the  insularity  of  Newfound- 
land by  sailing  through  the  straits  of  Belleisle. 

Although  the  voyages  of  the  Cabots  did  not  add 
much  to  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  American  coasts, 
the  conduct  of  the  operations  of  the  Company  of  Mer- 
chant Adventurers  by  Sebastian  Cabot  in  his  old  ago 
was  of  essential  service  in  advancing  and  opening  a  new 
route  for  English  commerce.  In  December  155 1  Sebas- 
tian was  constituted  governor  of  this  Company  for  life, 
and  in  1553  a  fleet  was  set  forth  under  his  supervision, 
with  Sir  Hugh  Willoughby  as  admiral  and  Richard 
Chancellor  as  chief  pilot.  In  bis  instructions  to  the 
leaders  of  this  expedition,  Cabot  was  the  first  to  establish 
rules  for  keeping  a  logbook  at  sea.  Willoughby  per- 
ished miserably  on  the  coast  of  Lapland  with  all  his 
people,  but  not  before  he  had  discovered  the  coast  of 
Novaya  Zemlya.  Owing  to  the  absence  of  any  means 
of  fixing  the  longitude,  this  coast  appeared  on  the  charts 
for  a  long  time  as  Willoughhy^s  Land,  between  Spitz- 
bergen  and  Novaya  Zemlya.  Chancellor  reached  the 
White  Sea  and  opened  a  trade  with  Russia.  From 
that    time    ships    were    regularly    dispatched    to    St. 


15S5.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  17 

Nicholas.  The  third  voyage  of  the  Muscovy  Company 
in  1556  was  conducted  by  Stephen  Borough,  a  Devon- 
shire sailor  of  great  ability,  who  discovered  the  entrance 
into  the  Kara  Sea,  and  wintered  with  the  Russians  at 
Kholmogro.  Borough  also  commanded  the  seventh 
voyage  of  the  Merchant  Adventurers  in  1560;  but 
from  1563  until  his  death  in  1584,  he  was  in  the 
Queen's  service  as  chief  pilot  in  the  Medway.  His 
discovery  of  a  strait  between  Novaya  Zemlya  and  the 
mainland  gave  rise  to  projects  for  finding  a  North-East 
Passage  to  China,  which  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
Merchant  Adventurers  during  several  3'ears.  An  at- 
tempt was  made  in  1568,  of  which  no  account  has  been 
preserved;  and  in  1580  the  Company  fitted  out  two 
vessels,  commanded  by  Arthur  Pet  and  Charles  Jack- 
man.  The  former  passed  through  the  strait  into  the 
Kara  Sea,  and  made  several  attezapts  to  penetrate  the 
heavy  pack-ice  and  reach  the  mouth  of  the  liver  Ob. 
Jackman  and  his  ship  were  never  heard  of  again,  and 
Pet  returned  with  a  report  on  the  reasons  of  his  failure. 
The  disappointing  result  of  Pet's  voyage  caused  the 
abandonment  of  attempts  in  that  direction,  and  con- 
centrated the  attention  of  explorers  on  a  passage  by 
the  north-west ;  although  Anthony  Jenkinson  continued 
to  advocate  a  North -Eastern  Passage. 

The  four  able  men  who  were  considering  the  subject 
with  close  attention  in  Mr.  Beale's  house  on  that  Janu- 
ary afternoon  three  hundred  and  five  years  ago  would, 
therefore,  have  turned  away  from  the  eastern  parts  to 
take  stock  of  what  was  known  respecting  the  routes 
on  the  American  side.  In  those  days  great  importance 
was  attached  to  a  curious  map,  with  an  accompanying 
narrative,  published  at  Venice  in  the  year  1558.     The 

B 


18  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1583. 

history  of  this  map,  which  long  misled  our  navigators, 
is  interesting. 

Nicol6  Zeno,  the  representative  of  one  of  the  noblest 
and  most  ancient  families  in  Venice,  was  bom  in  the 
year  1515,  and  he  appears  to  have  succeeded  to  the 
property,  including  the  Zeni  Palace  and  its  archives, 
when  he  was  very  young.      Ho  says  that  he  was  but 


THE  ZENI  MAP. 


a  child  when  the  papers  of  his  ancestors  fell  into  his 
hands,  and  that  he,  not  knowing  what  they  were,  "  tore 
them  in  pieces,  as  children  will  do,  and  sent  them  all  to 
ruin."  In  after  years  he  looked  over  some  fragments 
that  remained,  and  found  them  to  be  family  records  of 
the  deepest  interest.  Ever  afterwards  he  looked  back 
upon   the   destructiveness   of    his   childhood   with    the 


1585.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  19 

greatest  sorrow.  In  the  fourteenth  century  the  family 
was  represented  by  three  brothers,  Nicolo,  Antonio,  and 
Carlo.  Nicolo  went  on  a  voyage  of  curiosity  into  the 
northern  seas,  and  was  wrecked  on  an  island  which  he 
called  Frislanda  in  1390.  He  was  befriended  by  a 
chief  named  Zichmni,  into  whose  service  he  entered  as 
pilot  of  his  fleet,  and  wrote  to  his  brother  Antonio  to 
join  him.  Antonio  reached  the  distant  Northern  land, 
lived  there  with  his  brother  Nicol6  for  four  years,  re- 
mained ten  years  after  Nicolo's  death,  and  then  returned 
to  Venice,  where  he  died.  During  his  absence  Antonio 
wrote  letters  to  the  third  brother.  Carlo. 

It  was  these  precious  letters  which  the  younger  Nicol6, 
a  hundred  and  fifty  years  afterwards,  tore  up  during  his 
childhood.  The  fragments  he  i-ecovered  in  after  years 
were  parts  of  the  letter  from  Nicol5  the  elder  to  Antonio, 
and  of  the  letters  from  Antonio  to  Carlo,  as  well  as  a  map 
rotten  with  age  and  damp.  The  letters  give  an  account 
of  a  visit  of  Nicol6  Zeno  to  a  land  he  calls  Greenland, 
and  information  derived  from  fishermen  respecting  dis- 
tant western  lands  called  Drogeo  and  Estotiland.  The 
younger  Nicolo  strove  to  repair  the  errors  of  his  mis- 
chievous childhood  by  preparing  these  surviving  frag- 
ments for  the  press.  He  also  made  a  copy  of  the 
decaying  map,  adding  his  own  conjectural  emendations 
where  the  original  could  not  be  deciphered.  This 
compilation  was  published  at  Venice  by  Nicolo  Zeno 
in  1558. 

The  misleading  map  of  Nicolo  Zeno  became  a  docu- 
ment of  great  importance,  and  its  errors  more  or  less 
influenced  cartographers  for  at  least  a  century.  Green- 
land, called  Engroneland,  Tramontana,  and  Grolandia, 
is  here  connected  with  Norway,  and  in  the  bay  thus 


20  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1583. 

formed  a  large  island  called  Islanda  is  placed,  rather 
to  the  north  of  the  latitude  of  Iceland.  Due  south  of 
Islanda  there  is  another  largo  island  called  Fribland ; 
and  half  way  between  Frisland  and  the  south  point  of 
Engroneland  a  tliird  island  of  considerable  size  is  placed, 
called  Icaria.  At  the  western  extreme  of  the  map,  in 
the  same  latitude  as  Frisland,  Estotiland  appears,  and 
Drogeo  is  in  the  S.W.  corner  of  the  map.  These  two 
latter  names  Avere  very  generally  assumed  to  be  New- 
foundland, and  the  "  Prima  Vista  "  of  Cabot.  Islanda,  of 
course,  was  Iceland,  and  the  outline  of  Greenland  is  not 
very  incorrectly  drawn.  But  the  two  islands  of  Fris- 
land and  Icaria  were  very  puzzling  to  the  Elizabethan 
cosmographei's.  There  was  certainly  no  such  island  as 
Frisland  of  the  size  and  in  the  position  where  it  is 
placed  on  Zeno's  map.  It  was  accordingly  shifted  farther 
to  the  west,  where  it  appeared  in  numerous  charts ;  the 
Greenland  coast  was  occasionally  mistaken  for  it,  and  it 
was  a  source  of  endless  confusion. 

The  geographers  at  Mr.  Beale's  house  would  have 
called  Walsingham's  attention  from  a  study  of  the 
narrative  and  map  of  the  Zeni  to  a  consideration  of 
the  much  more  recent  voyages  of  Martin  Frobisher,  the 
first  of  which  was  commenced  simultaneously  with  the 
appearance  of  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert's  discourse  of  a 
North- West  Passage.  Except  Frobisher  himself,  and 
Michael  Lok,  his  chief  helper  and  adviser,  no  one  was 
better  able  to  nai-rate  the  history  of  Frobisher's  enter- 
prises than  Dr.  Dee,  who  was  constantly  consulted,  and 
who  gave  instruction  to  the  officers  selected  to  serve  in 
the  expedition,  in  navigation  and  nautical  astronomy,  as 
it  was  then  understood.  Frobisher  had  entertained  the 
idea  of  discovering  a  North-West  Passage  for  many 


15S5.]  PREPAEATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  21 

years,  but  it  was  not  until  lie  had  secured  the  aid  of 
Michael  Lok,  an  influential  merchant  and  an  indefati- 
gable geographer,  that  he  was  in  a  position  to  fit  out  an 
expedition. 

Two  new  vessels,  of  about  twenty  tons  burden,  called 
the  Gabriel  anci  the  Michael,  having  been  supplied  with 
necessaries  and  with  a  crew  of  thirty-five  men  and  boys, 
bold  Martin  FroLi.sher  set  sail  from  Blackwall  on  the 
7th  of  June  1576,  and  shaped  a  course  for  the  Shetland 
Islands.  But  meeting  with  a  gale  of  wind,  the  Michael 
deserted  her  consort,  and  returned  home  with  a  false 
report  that  the  Gabriel  had  gone  down  in  a  terrible 
storm.  Frobisher  pushed  onwards,  and  came  in  sight 
of  land  which  ho  supposed  to  be  the  Frisland  of  Zeno's 
map ;  but  he  could  not  approach  owing  to  the  quantity 
of  ice  which  was  pressed  upon  it.  After  encountering  a 
furious  gale  and  heavy  sea,  in  which  the  little  Gabriel 
was  nearly  lost,  he  persevered  for  some  days  in  a  westerly 
course,  and  on  the  20th  of  July  high  land  was  sighted, 
which  he  named  Queen  Elizabeth's  Foreland.  Here 
much  ice  was  again  encountered,  and  as  the  ship  was 
detained  off  an  inlet  between  two  headlands,  Frobisher 
determined  to  explore  it.  He  was  under  the  impression 
that  the  coast  on  one  side  of  this  inlet  was  America,  and 
that  the  land  on  the  other  side  was  the  continent  of  Asia. 
He  gave  the  name  of  Frobisher's  Strait  to  his  discovery, 
and  returned  to  England  in  October.  Tlie  first  land  he 
saw  must  have  been  the  east  coast  of  Greenland,  near 
Cape  Farewell ;  and  sailing  across  the  channel  which 
was  destined  to  bear  the  name  of  Davis,  he  reached  his 
inlet  on  its  western  shore.  Unluckily  one  of  the  crew 
brought  home  a  shining  piece  of  mica,  which  was  be- 
lieved to  be  gold  ore.     "  This  kindled  a  great  opinion  ia 


22  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1583. 

the  hearts  of  many  to  advance  the  voyage  again,"  and 
thus  the  interests  of  geography  were  lost  sight  of  in  this 
foolish  quest  for  mineral  wealth. 

A  company  was  formed,  a  charter  was  granted  to 
Michael  Lok  and  Martin  Frobisher,  and  a  second  expe- 
dition was  soon  ready  for  sea.  It  consisted  of  three 
vessels — the  Aid,  of  240  tons,  lent  by  the  Queen,  the 
Michael,  and  Gabriel.  On  board  the  Aid  were  the 
admiral  himself,  Martin  Frobisher,  his  lieutenant, 
George  Best,  who  was  the  historian  of  the  voyage,  and 
Christopher  Hall,  the  master.  The  Gal/riel  was  com- 
manded by  Edward  Fenton,  with  William  Smyth  as 
master,  and  the  MicJiad  by  Gilbert  Yorke.  Sailing  in 
June  1577,  they  sighted  the  same  coast  which  had  been 
taken  for  Frisland  in  the  former  voyage,  early  in  July. 
Frobisher  made  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  force  his 
way  through  the  ice  in  a  boat  and  effect  a  landing.  He 
was  baffled  by  dense  fogs,  and  on  the  8th  of  July  the 
voyage  was  resumed.  It  is  curious  that  Frobisher's 
officers  should  have  found  this  rugged  and  inaccessible 
coast  to  agree  very  well  with  the  island  of  Frisland  as 
described  by  Zeno  in  his  narrative  and  shown  on  his 
map.  Leaving  it,  the  expedition  steered  westward,  and 
reached  the  inlet  called  Frobisher's  Strait  on  the  17th 
of  July.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  intercourse  with  the 
Eskimos,  but  all  exploring  work  was  abandoned  for  the 
sake  of  the  search  for  ores,  and  this  second  expedition 
returned  without  adding  anything  to  geographical  know- 
ledge. The  Queen  gave  the  name  of  "  Meta  Incognita" 
to  the  land  discovered  by  Frobisher. 

The  reports  of  the  assayers  who  examined  the  stones 
that  were  brought  home  still  further  excited  the  cupidity 
of  speculators.     A  third  expedition  was  fitted  out  on  a 


1585.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  23 

large  scale,  and  it  was  actually  intended  to  leave  a 
colony  of  a  hundred  men  to  watch  over  the  imaginary 
ores  of  "  Meta  Incognita."  A  fleet  of  fifteen  sail  was 
assembled  at  Harwich  on  the  27th  of  May  1578,  in- 
cluding the  Aid,  commanded  by  Frobisher  himself; 
the  Judith,  Captain  Fenton ;  the  Thomas  Allen,  Captain 
Yorke  ;  the  Ann  Frances,  Captain  Best ;  the  Moon,  the 
Gabriel,  and  Michael,  and  the  Emma,  a  buss  of  Bridge- 
water.  This  time  Frobisher  took  the  route  down 
Channel,  and  sighted  his  supposed  Frisland  on  the  20th 
of  June,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  "  West  England." 
He  succeeded  in  effecting  a  landing,  and  took  possession 
in  the  name  of  the  Queen.  Natives  were  seen,  with 
dogs  and  tents,  closely  resembling  those  of  "  Meta  Incog- 
nita," This  gave  rise  to  the  suspicion  among  some  of 
the  officers  that  the  so-called  Frisland  was  really  the 
mainland  of  Greenland.  They  also  conjectured  that 
"  Meta  Incognit:a  "  and  Greenland  might  be  connected 
by  a  coast-line  forming  a  deep  bay.  The  great  numbers 
of  icebergs  would  not  be  met  with,  they  thought,  if  there 
was  an  open  sea  to  the  north.  Thus  we  see  the  sound 
natural  sense  of  practical  mariners  struggling  against 
the  errors  and  absurdities  of  Zeno's  map. 

"  Meta  Incognita  "  was  reached  on  the  23rd  of  June, 
there  being  a  fair  wind  across  the  channel,  and  as  the 
lofty  mountains  of  Greenland,  which  Frobisher  believed 
to  be  Frisland,  and  called  "  West  England,"  faded  from 
view,  the  last  peak  that  was  in  sight  received  the  name 
of  "  Charing  Cross,"  "  from  a  certain  similitude."  Very 
bad  weather  was  encountered  off  Frobisher's  Inlet,  and 
the  expedition  was  a  complete  failure ;  but  one  of  the 
vessels,  the  little  buss  of  Bridgewater,  added  to  the 
confusion  of  existing  maps  by  the  report  of  her  captain 


24  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1583. 

touching  another  imaginary  island.  He  decLai-ed  that  he 
had  sighted  a  great  island  to  the  south-east  of  Frisland, 
and  sailed  three  days  along  the  coast,  the  land  seeming 
to  be  fruitful,  full  of  woods,  and  a  champaign  country. 
Accordingly  one  more  island,  called  "  The  Land  of  Buss," 
appeared  on  charts  of  the  North  Atlantic,  to  increase 
the  confusion  caused  by  Nicolo  Zeno.  Many  a  sailor, 
in  the  years  to  come,  kept  a  fruitless  and  anxious  look- 
out for  "  the  sunken  land  of  Busse."  Frobisher  returned 
in  October  1578,  having  lost  forty  men  during  the  voyage. 
Unfortunately  he  abandoned  his  real  work  for  the  search 
of  imaginary  gold  ore,  and  all  his  gallant  efforts  were 
wasted.  The  question  was  still  unsolved,  and  his  work 
remained  undone.  The  misunderstood  discoveries  of 
Frobisher  added  to  the  perplexities  of  the  Zeno  map. 

If  we  remember  that  our  ancestors  laboured  under 
great  difficulties  in  ascertaining  the  longitude  of  any 
position,  it  will  easily  be  seen  that  it  was  only  by  very 
sagacious  reasoning  from  several  points  of  view  that 
an  error  could  be  detected.  Accepting  Frobisher's  own 
belief  that  the  first  laud  he  sighted  was  Fi'island,  and 
relying  on  the  map  of  Zeno,  the  conclusion  at  which 
Davis  and  his  friends  arrived  was  inevitable.  After 
leaving  Frisland,  the  next  land  Frobisher  came  to  would, 
according  to  these  data,  be  Greenland.  Consequently 
Davis  looked  upon  Frobisher's  Inlet  as  a  strait  through 
the  southern  part  of  Greenland.  Looking  farther  west, 
he  saw  the  open  channel  on  Zeno's  map  to  the  west  of 
Greenland,  only  bounded  to  the  west  by  Estotiland, 
which  was  generally  accepted  as  Newfoundland.  A 
coast-line  was  believed  to  extend  farther  north,  which 
had  been  partially  examined  by  Cubot,  and  afterwards 
by   C'oiteieal   and   other  Portuguese  some  years  later. 


15S5.]  TREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  25 

This  was  the  coast  of  Labrador.  It  was  to  the  wide 
channel  between  the  west  side  of  Greenland  and  the 
Labrador  coast  that  the  attention  of  Davis  and  his 
friends  was  turned,  as  an  important  route  for  future 
discovery.  As  Frobisher's  Strait  was  assumed  to  bo 
on  the  eastern  side  of  this  channel,  the  information 
collected  during  the  three  voyages  commanded  b}'  Sir 
Martin  Frobisher  appeared  to  furnish  no  guidance  to 
explorers  intending  to  adopt  a  more  western  route, 
except  as  regards  the  general  remarks  on  the  nature 
and  position  of  the  ice.  It  is  right  to  observe  that  this 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  the  view  of  Michael  Lok, 
or  of  Frobisher  himself.  In  the  map  published  by  Lok, 
Frobisher's  Strait  is  shown  as  the  actual  North- West 
Passage,  although  a  study  of  the  narratives  fully  justi- 
fied the  conclusion  of  Davis. 

Respectful  attention  would  certainly  have  been  given 
to  that  famous  discourse  on  the  North- West  Passage 
by  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbei^t,  which  saw  the  light  at  the 
time  when  Frobisher's  first  expedition  left  the  Thames. 
To  the  four  men  who  sat  in  council  at  Mr,  Beale's  house 
it  would  have  seemed  like  a  voice  from  the  dead — as  a 
call  to  duty  from  one  of  England's  most  illustrious  sons. 
It  was  a  learned  and  eloquent  state  paper.  Gilbert's 
argument  was  that  America  was  an  island,  widely  sepa- 
rated by  oceans  from  any  other  continent,  and  that  con- 
sequently it  could  be  circumnavigated.  He  referred  to 
the  description  of  Atlantis  in  the  "Critias"  and  "Timteus" 
of  Plato,  and  argued  that  the  great  island  of  Egyptian 
tradition  could  be  no  other  than  America :  an  opinion 
Vidiich  he  shared  with  the  most  eminent  cosmographers 
of  the  continent,  including  Sebastian  Mlinster  of  Ingel- 
heim,  Apianus  of  Leipsig,  Gemma  Frisius,  and  Ortelius. 


26  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1583. 

He  then  alluded  to  the  voyage  of  Other  along  the  north- 
east coast  of  ]<2urope,  as  described  in  the  translation  of 
Orosius  by  King  Alfred,  in  order  to  show  how  the  route 
taken  by  the  ancient  navigator  had  been  rediscovered 
by  Englishmen  centuries  afterwards,  who,  in  his  day, 
were  accustomed  to  make  annual  voyages  to  the  White 
Sea.  These  observant  seamen  had  described  the  cur- 
rents and  the  accumulations  of  ice  in  the  Kara  Sea, 
and  their  reports  led  Gilbert  to  the  conclusion  that  a 
voyage  by  the  north-west  would  be  a  shorter  and  easier 
route  to  Cathay  and  India. 

In  considering  the  route  along  the  north  coast  of 
America,  Sir  Humphrey  collected  all  available  evidence 
respecting  the  distance  between  America  and  Asia.  He 
quoted  from  Gomara,  the  Spanish  historian,  who  de- 
clared both  America  and  Greenland  to  be  islands ;  and 
strengthened  his  arguments  by  the  evidence  of  Chinese 
geographers,  who  affirmed  that  their  coast-line  trended 
to  the  north-east  as  far  as  50°  N.  These  conclusions 
respecting  the  insular  character  of  America  were  con- 
firmed in  part  by  Jacques  Cartier,  the  French  discoverer 
of  Canada,  and  by  Nonnius,  the  great  Portuguese  geo- 
grapher. 

Gilbert  next  appealed  to  the  evidence  of  Sebastian 
Cabot,  who  was  remembered  by  many  then  living, 
Cabot  described  the  passage  on  his  charts,  which  were 
to  be  seen  in  those  days  in  the  Queen's  privy  gallery  at 
Whitehall.  Cabot  is  also  said  by  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert 
to  have  affirmed  that  he  reached  the  latitude  of  67°  30' 
N.  along  the  coast  of  Labrador,  where  the  sea  was  still 
open,  and  that  he  would  have  completed  the  voyage  to 
Cathay  if  he  had  not  been  prevented  by  a  mutiny  in 
his  ship.     Gilbert  believed  the  reports  that  the  passage 


1585.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  27 

had  actually  been  made.  Pliny,  quoting  from  Cornelius 
Nepos,  mentions  the  arrivnl  of  Indians  on  the  coast  of 
Germany,  who  were  presented  to  the  Roman  proconsul 
of  Gaul,  Quintus  Metellus  Celer,  by  the  King  of  Suevia. 
Moreover,  in  11 60,  during  the  reign  of  Frederick  Bar- 
barossa,  certain  other  Indians  arrived  on  the  coast  of 
Germany.  Gilbert  discussed  the  various  routes  by  which 
they  might  have  come,  and  decided  in  favour  of  the 
North-West  Passage.  Gemma  Frisius  had  affirmed  that 
three  brethren  had  actually  sailed  through  the  strait;  a 
fiiar  of  Mexico,  named  Urdaneta,  whose  chart  had  been 
seen  by  gentlemen  of  good  credit,  also  claimed  to  have 
made  the  passage.  It  had  been  attempted  by  Cabot 
and  by  the  Portuguese  Cortercal,  the  Labrador  coast 
being  known  certainly  as  far  as  62°  N.,  and  the  west 
coast  of  Greenland  being  supposed  to  extend  to  72°  N. 
The  discourse  of  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  reviewed  all 
these  stories  and  reports,  discussed  the  question  of  cur- 
rents, and  concluded  with  an  eloquent  peroration  on  the 
importance  of  discovering  a  shorter  route  to  India  and 
Cathay,  and  on  the  patriotic  duty  which  called  upon 
Englishmen  to  undertake  it. 

The  discourse  had  been  more  than  ten  years  before 
the  world  at  the  date  of  Walsingham's  conference  with 
the  geographers,  but  it  had  lost  none  of  its  freshness 
and  persuasive  earnestness.  It  had  the  true  ring  in  it, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  documents  to 
be  considered. 

There  were  also  recent  maps  and  charts  of  import- 
ance. The  great  map  of  Mercator  Avas  published  in 
1569,  and  was  the  result  of  the  careful  studj'-  of  nume- 
rous maps  and  charts  now  lost  to  us.  On  Mercator's 
map  the  coast  of  Labrador  is  shown  with  some  approach 


28 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS. 


[1583. 


to  accuracy,  and  is  called  "  Terra  Corterealis."  He 
makes  its  eastern  coast  run  from  53°  to  60"  N.,  and 
shows  the  entrance  to  Hudson's  Strait  and  Ungava  Bay. 
His  new  information  appears,  from  the  names,  to  have 


ARCTIC  MAP  FROM  ATLAS  OF  ORTELIUS. 


been  derived  from  Portuguese   sources.      The  atlas  of 
Ortelius  was  published  in  1570. 

Wal^ingham  was  a  statesman  of  enlightened  views, 
and  he  had  always  been  favourable  t®  voyages  of  dis- 
covery. The  thorough  examination  of  all  the  arguments, 
in  his  conference  with  Dr.  Dee  and  his  friends,  had  the 


1585.]  TREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  29 

effect  of  confirming  bis  former  opinion,  and  of  securing 
a  powerful  friend  to  the  projected  undertaking.  He 
was  fully  alive  to  the  value  of  a  route  to  the  Indies 
which  would  be  free  from  Spanish  or  Portuguese  claims  ; 
but  he  also  desired  to  foster  the  spirit  of  enterprise  in 
his  countrymen,  and  to  encourage  all  voyages  which 
were  calculated  to  serve  as  training-grounds  for  hardy 
and  expert  seamen.  Such  a  policy  is  the  true  policy  of 
this  country,  and  statesmen  worthy  of  the  name  have 
recognised  its  importance.  In  time  of  peace  the  attitude 
of  an  Administration  with  regard  to  Polar  exploration  is 
an  infallible  test  of  its  worth  and  patriotism.  Cecil  and 
Walsingham  were  alike  able  and  patriotic,  and  in  their 
days  Polar  discovery  received  hearty  encouragement. 
When  the  conference  at  Mr.  Beale's  house  broke  up, 
official  countenance  and  good-will  had  been  secured  for 
the  contemplated  expedition. 

The  next  point  was  to  interest  the  wealthy  merchants 
of  the  City  of  London  in  the  new  attempt  to  discover  a 
shorter  route  to  Cathay.  On  the  6th  of  March  John 
Davis  and  Adrian  Gilbert  had  an  interview  with  several 
City  magnates,  and  set  forth  the  commercial  importance 
of  the  enterprise.  Alderman  Barne,  who  was  Lord 
Mayor  in  1586,  Mr.  Towerson,  Mr.  Yonge,  and  Mr. 
Thomas  Hudson  were  the  merchants  to  whom  Dr.  Dee 
introduced  his  fi-iends.  The  meeting  probably  took  place 
at  Mr.  Hudson's  house  at  Mortlake  — a  circumstance  of 
peculiar  interest  to  Arctic  students ;  for  Thomas  Hud- 
son is  believed,  on  good  grounds,  to  have  been  the  uncle 
and  guardian  of  the  great  navigator,  Henry  Hudson ; 
so  that  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  young  Henry  may 
have  been  present  when  his  illustrious  predecessor  in 
Arctic  discovery  met  the  merchants  in  his  uncle's  house, 


30  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1583. 

and  may  have  listened  with  intense  interest  to  the 
address  in  which  Davis  explained  his  plans. 

Having  sown  good  seed  in  this  interview  with  the 
merchants  of  London,  Davis  and  Gilbert  did  not  allow 
the  grass  to  grow  beneath  their  feet.  On  the  17  th  they 
lodged  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Radforth  in  Chelsea,  and 
next  day  they  set  out  on  the  long  ride  to  Devonshire. 
Their  object  was  to  induce  the  merchants  of  Exeter  and 
their  own  neighbours  at  Dartmouth  to  join  the  enter- 
prise. They  were  fairly  successful.  Subscriptions  were 
obtained  at  both  places;  but  an  event  occurred  while 
they  were  still  in  the  West  country  which  threatened  to 
derange  their  plans. 

This  was  the  loss  of  Dr.  Dee's  advice,  owing  to  his 
unexpected  departure  from  England.  The  philosopher 
of  Mortlake,  although  his  learning  was  sound  and  ex- 
tensive, was  the  victim  of  spiritualistic  delusions.  He 
became  more  and  more  absorbed  in  chemical  experi- 
ments to  find  the  philosopher's  stone  and  in  imagi- 
nary intercourse  with  angels.  He  possessed  a  crystal 
globe  with  miraculous  powers.  During  his  labours  in 
the  cause  of  maritime  discovery  in  concert  with  Davis 
and  Gilbert,  he  was  already  deep  in  the  study  of  for- 
bidden arts.  In  March  15S2  he  engaged  a  medium  who 
could  communicate  with  spirits  by  means  of  the  crystal 
globe.  At  about  the  same  time  Dr.  Dee  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Albert  Laski,  a  Bohemian  nobleman, 
who  proposed  that  both  the  philosopher  and  his  medium 
should  return  with  him  to  his  country,  where  they  would 
be  furnished  with  ample  means  for  continuing  their 
mysterious  researches.  Dee,  whose  expensive  pursuits 
had  loaded  him  with  debt,  accepted  the  offer,  and  in 
September   1583    he   left  Mortlake  privately  and   em- 


1585.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  31 

barked  for  the  continent.  On  Lis  departure,  a  mob 
broke  into  his  house  and  destroyed  a  great  part  of  his 
library,  believing  him  to  be  a  magician  whose  dealings 
were  with  the  evil  one. 

This  sudden  disappearance  of  their  influential  friend 
must  have  caused  considerable  anxiety  and  consternation 
in  the  minds  of  the  partners  at  Sandridge.  But  they 
were  not  dismayed.  Gilbert's  half-brother  was  at  the 
height  of  his  influence  at  court,  and  when  they  turned 
to  him  for  help  in  their  need,  they  were  met  more  than 
half-way.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  entered  into  their  plans 
■with  characteristic  ardour.  He  received  the  honour  of 
knighthood  in  the  end  of  1584.  He  was  rapidly  becom- 
ing wealthy  through  the  lucrative  appointments  and 
gifts  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Queen,  and  he  spent 
his  fortune  nobly  in  schemes  for  the  advancement  of 
commerce  and  the  promotion  of  discovery.  He  induced 
the  Queen  to  grant  a  charter  in  the  names  of  himself, 
Adrian  Gilbert,  and  John  Davis  "  for  the  search  and 
discoverie  of  the  North-West  Passage  to  China."  Thus 
were  tlie  three  boys  who  had  so  often  rowed  and  sailed 
on  the  Dart  together,  and  who  had  listened  eagerly  to 
the  stories  of  sailors  on  Dartmouth  wharf,  now  asso- 
ciated as  grown  men,  to  make  their  own  great  effort  for 
their  country's  glory.  Raleigh  himself  mainly  devoted 
his  energies  to  the  equipment  of  the  expeditions  to  Vir- 
ginia, dispatched  in  the  same  yeai's  as  those  which  saw 
the  discoveries  of  Davis.  But  Raleigh  was  not  absorbed 
by  his  Virginian  schemes.  He  found  time  to  give  most 
efiicient  aid  to  his  old  schoolfellows. 

The  most  useful  help,  due  to  the  friendship  of  Sir 
Walter,  was  the  recommendation  of  his  associates  to  the 
good  ofiices  of  Master  William  Sanderson.    This  eminent 


32  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1583. 

merchant  was  one  of  the  most  liberal  and  enlightened 
adventui-ei's  of  his  time.  In  those  days  there  were  men 
to  be  found  in  abundance  who  were  willing  to  spend 
their  profits  lavishly  on  public  objects,  and  especially  on 
promoting  maritime  discovery.  Sanderson  was  a  mer- 
chant of  great  wealth,  and  he  was  married  to  a  niece  of 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  Before  embarking  011  the  venture 
of  Gilbert  and  Davis,  he  carefully  studied  the  subject  in 
all  its  bearings,  and,  with  other  information,  a  discourse 
on  voyages  to  the  north-east  between  1553  and  15 S3 
was  prepared  for  him  by  Mr.  Henry  Lane.  The  result 
of  his  deliberations  was,  that  he  resolved  to  give  liberal 
support  to  the  proposed  expedition.  He  superintended 
all  the  pi-eparations,  advanced  the  largest  share  of  the 
funds,  and  his  relative,  Mr.  John  Janes,  went  out  as 
supercargo  to  represent  the  great  merchant's  interests. 

In  the  spring  of  1585  John  Davis  was  busily  engaged 
in  the  work  of  fitting  out  his  expedition  at  Dartmouth. 
It  was  a  memorable  year.  In  1585  the  Queen  hurled 
defiance  at  Philip  of  Spain,  and  resolved  to  assist  the 
people  of  the  Netherlands  in  their  struggle  for  freedom. 
In  1585  Pude^'j^h  sent  out  his  first  expedition,  and  gave 
the  name  of  Virginia  to  the  coast  he  was  resolved  to 
colonise;  so  that  it  was  the  remote  biith-year  of  the 
great  American  Eepublic.  In  1585  the  first  English- 
men arrived  in  India.  In  1585  Raleigh's  former  play- 
fellow realised  the  wildest  dieams  of  his  boyhood.  He 
was  to  be  the  leader  of  an  attempt  to  make  discoveries 
beyond  the  great  ocean,  for  the  glory  of  his  native  land. 
Living  at  Sandridge,  and  actively  assisted  by  his  neigh- 
bour and  lifelong  friend,  Adrian  Gilbert,  the  work  at 
Dartmouth  was  actively  pushed  forward. 

The  expedition  consisted  of  two  small  vessels,  the  Sun- 


1585.]  PRErArvATIONS  FOR  THE  NORTH.  33 

shitie  of  London,  of  fifty  tons,  a.ncl  the  Moonshine,  built  at 
Dartmouth,  of  only  thirty-live  tons.  By  the  beginning 
of  June  they  were  ready  for  sea.  Davis  commanded 
the  Sunshine,  with  William  Eston  and  Richard  Pope  as 
his  master  and  master's  mate,  Henry  Davy  and  William 
Crosse  as  gunner  and  boatswain,  and  Mr.  John  Janes 
as  merchant  and  supercargo.  The  crew  consisted  of  a 
carpenter,  eleven  seamen,  four  musicians,  and  a  boy. 
The  Moonshine  was  commanded  by  William  Bruton, 
with  John  Ellis  as  master. 

On  the  7th  of  June  1585  the  two  ships  sailed  out  of 
Dartmouth  harbour  on  their  daring  voyage  to  discover 
a  route  to  China  and  India  by  the  north-west.  It  was 
a  pi'ivate  venture,  undertaken  by  merchants  of  London 
and  Exeter  under  the  lead  of  Master  Sanderson,  but  it 
was  dispatched  to  secure  great  national  objects,  and  it 
was  under  the  direct  patronage  of  Sir  Francis  Walsing- 
ham,  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh. 
John  Davis  was  the  right  man  to  command  such  an 
expedition — "a  man  very  well  grounded  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  art  of  navigation,"  as  Mr.  Janes  described 
him,  full  of  enthusiasm,  brave  and  darininj,  but  prudent 
and  cautious.  As  he  passed  the  clnirch  of  St.  Petrox, 
and  waved  his  last  farewell  to  Adrian  Gilbert  and  his 
other  friends,  how  vividly  must  the  daydreams  of  his 
boyhood  have  returned  to  him  !  He  must  have  remem- 
bered how  often  he  had  sat  with  Raleigh  and  the 
Gilberts  on  that  very  parapet  of  St.  Petrox,  and  longed 
for  the  time  to  come  when  he  too  could  sail  away  to 
discover  unknown  lands.     At  last  the  time  had  come  1 


CIIAPTEIi  III. 

THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES. 

John  Davis  was  in  the  prime  of  life,  just  entering 
upon  his  thiity-sixth  year,  when  he  sailed  out  of  Dart- 
mouth harbour  in  command  of  the  Sunshine  and  Moon- 
shine. Brought  up  under  excellent  influences  at  his 
lovely  home  on  the  banks  of  the  Dart,  enjoying  the 
companionship  of  kindred  spirits,  and  drinking  in  the 
love  of  adventure  from  his  earliest  boyhood,  he  entered 
upon  the  profession  of  the  sea  with  great  advantages. 
His  studies  at  school,  probably  at  Totnes,  had  given  him 
some  classical  knowledge,  and  he  had  a  natural  bent  for 
mathematics  and  nautical  science.  He  had  now  been 
some  twenty  years  at  sea,  and  was  accounted  one  of  the 
most  experienced  and  accomplished  seamen  of  his  time. 
Besides  his  old  play-fellows,  Raleigh  and  the  Gilberts, 
he  had  formed  many  friendships  in  the  West  Country, 
chief  among  them  being  that  of  the  adventurous  Master 
Chudleigh  of  Broad  Clyst,  who  warmly  sympathised  in 
his  aspirations,  and  was  himself  destined  to  lead  forth 
an  expedition  and  to  become  a  martyr  to  science.  Sir 
Francis  Walsingham,  Secietary  of  State,  Sir  Edward 
Dyer,  afterwards  Chancellor  of  the  Gai^ter,  the  Earl  of 
Warwick,  who  was  Master- General  of  the  Ordnance,  and 

84 


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1585-86.]     FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  35 

Mr.  William  Sanderson  were  his  patrons.  Young  stu- 
dents of  rank  at  the  universities,  who  were  interested 
in  cosmography  and  the  mathematics,  had  sought  the 
society  of  the  famous  seaman ;  among  whom  were 
George  Clifford,  Earl  of  Cumberland,  and  young  Lords 
Lumley  and  Darcy  of  Chiche.  In  recent  years  Davi'S 
had  become  well  known,  and  had  formed  many  valuable 
acquaintances,  who  all  wished  him  God-speed.  He  left 
behind  him,  in  his  home  at  Sandridge,  a  wife  and  little 
boy,  surrounded  by  friendly  neighbours,  several  of 
whom  were  near  relations.  All  seemed  to  prosper  with 
him.  This  was  the  turning-point  of  his  destiny,  and  he 
knew  how  to  seize  the  right  moment.  Ably  and  zealously 
assisted  by  loving  friends,  it  was  to  his  own  perseverance 
and  energy  that  the  dispatch  of  the  expedition  was 
mainly  due.  He  was  resolute  and  brave,  skilled  and  ex- 
perienced in  all  a  sailor's  art,  and  full  of  enthusiasm. 
At  the  same  time  Davis  was  a  God-fearing  man,  gentle 
and  courteous,  considerate  and  thoughtful  of  the  welfare 
of  his  crew,  and  beloved  by  his  men — a  very  perfect 
specimen  of  an  English  sailor  of  the  days  of  the  great 
Queen. 

On  the  first  day  at  sea,  the  captain,  in  consultation 
with  the  master,  formed  the  crew  into  messes  and 
arranged  the  scale  of  provisions.  In  the  small  cabin  of 
the  Stmshme — a  little  vessel  of  fifty  tons — there  was  a 
mess  consisting  of  seven  persons.  Here  the  captain  had 
his  charts  and  instruments,  his  globe,  with  the  aid  of 
which  he  worked  out  most  of  his  nautical  problems,  and 
his  few  books.  William  Eston,  the  master,  was  an 
experienced  seaman,  devoted  to  his  chief,  and  doubtless 
an  old  shipmate.  His  mate  was  named  Richard  Pope. 
Mr.  John  Janes,  a  nephew  of  Master  William  Sander- 


36  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1585. 

son,  came  on  board  as  merchant,  to  watch  the  interests 
of  the  adventurers.  Ho  formed  a  close  friendship  with 
Captain  Davis,  and  assisted  him  iu  his  calculations. 
Henry  Davy,  the  gunner,  appears  to  have  been  an 
Exeter  man.  His  namesake,  John  Davy,  served  the 
office  of  mayor  of  Exeter  in  1584,  and  was  mortgagee 
of  some  of  the  property  of  Davis's  friend  Chudleigh. 
William  Cross,  the  boatswain,  and  Robert  Wats,  the 
carpenter,  completed  the  number  of  seven  officers.  Many 
a  night  at  sea  must  these  earnest  explorers  have  pored 
over  the  charts,  listened  eagerly  to  tho  explanations  of 
their  chief,  and  discussed  the  chances  of  success.  They 
were  waited  upon  by  the  only  boy  in  the  ship,  young 
Kit  Gurney. 

The  seamen  were  told  off  into  two  messes,  five  in 
each,  and  there  was  another  mess  of  one  seaman  and 
four  musicians,  who  had  been  engaged  to  entice  and 
secure  the  good-will  of  any  savages  that  might  be  met 
with  on  the  voyage.  One  of  the  seamen  may  probably 
have  been  the  son  of  his  namesake,  John  Ellis,  master 
of  the  Moonshine.  Another,  Luke  Adams,  was  a  young 
apprentice,  related  to  the  owner  of  Wadditon,  the  next 
estate  to  Sandridge,  who  married  a  sister-in-law  of 
Captain  Davis. 

Captain  Davis  and  Master  Eston  surveyed  the  whole 
stock  of  provisions,  and  carefully  calculated  how  long 
they  would  last.  They  consisted  of  cod  and  salt  meat, 
bread  and  pease,  butter  and  cheese,  with  beer.  The 
clothing  was  entirely  woollen,  and  adapted  for  the  cold 
weather ;  and  in  all  respects  thought  had  been  taken 
for  the  comfort  of  the  men  by  their  generous  employer. 
Master  William  Sanderson. 

A  strong  south-west  wind  obliged  the  two  vessels  to 


1SS6.]        FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  37 

take  shelter  in  Falmouth  harbour  for  five  days.  They 
made  sail  before  a  northerly  breeze  on  the  13th  of  June, 
but  the  wind  again  shifted,  and  Captain  Davis  anchoi'ed 
at  the  Scilly  Islands  until  there  should  be  a  fair  wind  for 
Greenland.  He  was  detained  for  twelve  days,  and,  ever 
anxious  to  perform  useful  work  whenever  an  opportunity 
offered,  he  employed  his  time  in  making  a  survey  of  the 
Scilly  Islands.  Accompanied  by  the  master  and  Mr. 
Janes,  he  visited  every  part  of  the  group  in  his  boat,  plot- 
ting and  describing  the  positions  of  all  the  islands,  rocks, 
and  anchorages,  and  making  a  regular  survey  for  the 
use  of  navigators.  Davis  was  thus  usefully  employed 
until  the  28th,  when  the  expedition  weighed  and  made 
sail  before  a  light  easterly  bi-eeze,  for  the  voyage  across 
the  ocean.  On  the  two  following  days  they  were  hin- 
dered by  a  dense  fog  ;  but  on  the  ist  of  July  they  were 
well  out  on  the  Atlantic,  with  a  clear  horizon  and  a 
school  of  porpoises  playing  round  the  ship.  To  many 
on  board  this  was  a  novel  sight,  and  when  the  master 
sent  for  his  harpoon,  and  began  to  throw  it,  as  the  por- 
poises sported  past  the  ship  within  range,  there  was 
great  excitement.  He  missed  them  several  times,  but 
at  last  the  iron  went  home ;  the  crew  manned  the  line, 
and  the  porpoise  was  hauled  on  to  the  deck.  Mr.  Eston 
pronounced  it  to  be  a  "  darlie-head,"  and,  whatever  it 
was,  the  flesh  was  served  out  next  day,  and  was  con- 
sidered to  be  as  good  as  mutton.  On  the  3rd,  the 
monsters  of  the  deep  promised  still  better  sport,  and  the 
master  succeeded  in  striking  one  of  them ;  but  the  crea- 
ture was  so  sti-ong  that  it  went  off  with  harpoon,  line, 
and  all,  disappointing  their  hopes  and  spoiling  their 
fun.  Tlien  they  tried  the  boat-hook,  but  all  was  of  no 
use,  and  at  last  they  gave  it  up,  and  allowed  the  great 


2582ii5 


38  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1585. 

porpoises  to  play  around  them  in  peace.  The  number 
of  whales  seen  during  the  rest  of  the  voj'age  across  the 
Atlantic  would  be  considered  extraordinary  now.  But 
in  those  days  the  Balcena  Biscayensis  had  not  yet  bron 
hunted  almost  to  extinction.  Not  only  were  these 
great  whales,  which  were  provided  with  whalebone,  and 
differed  very  slightly  from  the  B.  Mysticetus  of  the 
Polar  seas,  often  met  with  in  the  Atlantic,  but  they 
frequented  the  coasts  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  were 
hunted  in  boats  from  the  villages  of  Biscay  and  Gui- 
puzcoa.  It  is  many  years  since  those  villages  were 
enriched  by  the  bone  and  oil  of  the  Biscayan  whales, 
but  they  still  occur  in  municipal  coats  of  arms,  and  the 
old  harpoons,  long  since  disused,  still  hang  on  the  walls 
of  houses  whose  owners  have  been  fishermen  for  genera- 
tions. In  the  days  of  Davis,  the  Basque  sailors  throve 
on  the  whale-fishery,  and  "  great  store  of  whales  "  was 
seen  by  those  who  crossed  the  Atlantic. 

At  the  end  of  three  weeks  the  coast  of  Greenland 
was  very  near.  On  the  19th  of  July,  the  sea  being 
calm  and  a  dense  mist  obstructing  the  view,  "  a  mighty 
great  roaring  "  was  heard.  The  captain  of  the  Moon- 
shine was  ordered  to  hoist  his  boat  out  and  go  ahead 
to  sound,  but  there  was  no  bottom  at  300  fathoms, 
though  the  noise  was  like  the  breaking  of  waves  on  a 
beach.  Then  Davis,  taking  Master  Eston  and  Janes 
with  him,  and  ordering  the  gunner  to  fire  a  musket  as 
a  signal  to  show  the  ship's  position  at  the  end  of  every 
half-hour,  pulled  away  in  the  direction  of  the  mysteri- 
ous noise.  He  soon  found  that  the  ships  were  close 
to  a  stream  of  pack-ice,  and  that  the  noise  was  caused 
by  the  large  pieces  grinding  together.  He  returned 
before   nightfall,  with  his   boat  laden  with  ice,  which 


1586.]        FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  39 

made  excellent  fresh  water.  Next  day  the  fog  rose, 
and  the  mgged  mountains  of  Greenland,  covered  with 
snow,  stood  out  before  them,  a  wide  extent  of  pack-ice 
intervening  between  the  ships  and  the  shore.  Davis 
called  it  the  "  Land  of  Desolation,"  for,  as  he  said,  "  the 
irksome  noise  of  the  ice  and  the  loathsome  view  of  the 
shore  bred  strange  conceits  among  us."  He  had  pro- 
bably reached  the  east  coast  somewhere  near  Cape  Dis- 
cord. Being  almost  beset,  Davis  shaped  a  southerly 
course  and  got  clear  of  the  pack.  On  the  22nd  he  again 
hoisted  out  his  boat  and  pulled  inshore  to  examine  the 
ice.  Many  seals  were  seen  and  quantities  of  birds  were 
on  the  water,  which  induced  the  men  to  get  their  lines 
out,  but  no  fish  were  caught.  The  ice  prevented  a  close 
approach  to  the  land,  and  when  the  captain  returned  on 
board,  he  continued  his  southerly  course,  intending  to 
round  the  southern  point  of  Greenland. 

The  cold  had  increased  owing  to  the  ships  being  near 
the  ice,  so  Davis  resolved,  in  order  to  encourage  his 
men,  to  increase  their  allowance,  every  mess  of  five 
persons  receiving  half  a  pound  of  bread  and  a  can  of 
beer  each  morning  for  breakfast.  Rounding  the  point 
afterwards  called  Cape  Farewell  by  Davis,  the  expedi- 
tion lost  sight  of  land  and  steered  to  the  north-west  for 
four  days,  hoping  to  discover  the  passage.  Davis  knew 
that  he  was  well  to  the  westward  of  Frisland,  that  he 
had  rounded  the  south  point  of  Greenland,  and  that  he 
was  in  the  channel  shown  by  Mercator  to  exist  between 
Greenland  and  Labrador.  On  the  29th  of  July  he 
sighted  land  in  64°  15'  N.,  and  as  the  wind  was  foul 
for  a  north-westerly  course,  he  bore  in  for  it,  finding  it 
to  consist  of  many  islands  and  deep  inlets.  He  was  at 
the  entrance  of  the  fiord  on  the  shores  of  which  the 


40 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS. 


[1585. 


r>anish  settlement  of  Codthaab  is  now  situated,  and  he 

named  the  place  of 
his  anchorage  Gilbert 
Sonnd,  in  memory  of 
his  friends  at  Green- 
way,  and  especially 
of  his  colleague  and 
neighbour,  Adrian. 
He  had  given  the 
same  name  to  his 
fii'st-born  child. 

Captain  Davis,  with 
Eston  and  Janes,  had 
landed  on  a  small  is- 
land to  look  for  wood 
and  water,  when  they 
saw  a  number  of 
natives  shouting  and 
making  signs  from  a 
short  distance.  On 
the  Greenland  coast 
the  small  granite  is- 
lands are  scattered 
in  great  numbers  at 
the  entrances  of  the 
deep  fiords,  pretty 
well  clothed  with 
moss,  grasses,  and 
wild  -  flowers  in  the 
summer-time,and  em- 
bosomed in  a  deep  blue 
sea,  on  which  masses 

of  ice  float  heie  and  there,  and  become  distorted  by  refrac- 


IS86.]        FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  41 

tion  on  the  horizon.  Nature  does  not  present  a  more 
lovely  scene ;  and  here  the  explorers  had  their  first  inter- 
view with  the  Eskimo.  Hearing  the  shouting  and  noise, 
Captain  Bruton  and  Master  Ellis,  of  the  Moonshine, 
manned  their  boat,  took  the  four  musicians  on  board, 
and  hurried  either  to  rescue  their  chief  or  co-operate 
in  his  attempt  to  conciliate  the  natives.  When  they 
arrived,  Captain  Davis  caused  the  musicians  to  play, 
while  he  and  his  companions  danced  and  made  signs  of 
friendship.  Ellis  was  appointed  to  go  down  to  the 
wate^-side  and  win  their  confidence,  in  which  he  suc- 
ceeded by  carefully  imitating  their  signs.  A  good  un- 
derstanding had  been  established  before  the  explorers 
returned  on  board  that  night,  and  next  morning  a  num- 
ber of  Imijaks  were  darting  about  round  the  ships,  and 
natives  stood  on  the  nearest  islands  and  made  signs  to 
induce  their  visitors  to  land.  Again  the  boat  went  on 
shore,  and  perfect  confidence  was  established.  Five 
l-ayaks  were  purchased  and  specimens  of  native  clothing ; 
the  impression  left  on  the  minds  of  Davis  and  Janes 
being  that  the  Eskimos  were  a  tractable  people,  whom 
it  would  be  easy  to  civilise.  Great  numbers  of  seals 
were  seen,  and  the  vegetation,  consisting  of  dwarf 
willow  and  birch,  and  of  the  berry-bearing  Emj-etrum 
nigrum,  was  observed. 

On  the  ist  of  August,  the  wind  being  fair,  Davis  left 
Gilbert  Sound,  and  shaping  a  north-west  course  in  pur- 
suance of  his  discovery,  sighted  the  land  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  channel  in  66°  40'  N.  on  the  6th.  Here  he 
cast  anchor  in  a  place  which  he  called  Totnes  Road, 
while  a  lofty  cliff  overshadowing  the  anchorage  received 
the  name  of  Mount  Raleigh.  The  large  bay  nearly  sur- 
rounding Mount  Raleigh  was  called  Exeter  Sound,  the 


42  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1585. 

point  to  the  north  was  christened  Cape  Dyer,  and  that 
to  the  south  Cape  Walsingham.  The  explorers  had 
their  first  encounter  with  Polar  bears  under  Mount 
Raleigh.  Four  were  seen  from  the  ship,  and  the  boat 
was  quickly  manned  by  eager  sportsmen.  Janes,  who 
was  on  shore,  loaded  his  gun  with  buckshot  and  a 
bullet,  and  hit  one  in  the  neck.  It  took  to  the  water, 
and  was  killed  by  the  boat's  crew  with  boar-spears, 
as  well  as  two  others ;  and  a  few  days  after wai-ds 
another  bear  was  secured  after  a  long  and  exciting 
encounter.  Dwarf  willows  were  found  on  shore,  and 
a  yellow  flower  which  they  took  for  a  primrose.  It 
must  have  been  either  the  Manunculus  glacialis  or 
Pajmver  AJjmiuvi. 

The  expedition  left  Totnes  Road  on  the  8th  of 
August,  and  the  men  having  complained  of  the  insuf- 
ficiency of  their  food  in  such  a  climate.  Captain  Davis 
framed  a  new  dietary.  Each  mess  of  five  men  was  to 
receive  four  pounds  of  bread  daily,  twelve  quarts  of 
beer,  six  stock-fish,  and  an  extra  gill  of  peas  on  salt- 
meat  days. 

The  next  service  performed  by  the  expedition  was  the 
examination  of  Cumberland  Gulf.  The  northern  point 
of  the  entrance  was  named  the  Cape  of  God's  Mercy, 
and  the  two  ships  went  up  the  gulf,  discovering  an 
island  in  mid-channel.  The  Simshine  sailed  up  on  one 
side  of  it,  the  Moonshine  itook  the  other  channel,  and  a 
very  complete  examination  of  the  gulf  was  effected,  but 
without  sighting  the  end  of  it.  Various  indications 
inclined  Davis  to  the  belief  that  it  was  a  strait,  but  a 
strong  north-Avest  wind  obliged  him  to  shape  a  course 
towards  the  open  sea.  On  the  23rd  of  August  he  an- 
chored on  the  south  shore  of  the  gulf,  and  on  the  26th 


1586.]        FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  43 

he  resolved  to  wend  his  way  homewards,  arriving  at 
Dartmouth  on  the  30th  of  September. 

John  Davis  was  not  disheartened  by  the  result  of  his 
first  voyage.  He  considered  that  his  discoveries  had 
materially  increased  the  amount  of  knowledge  which 
must  be  collected  before  the  passage  was  likely  to  be 
found,  unless  by  some  fortunate  accident.  On  leaving 
Greenland  he  had  steered  westward,  and  although  he  had 
been  stopped  by  a  coast-line,  he  had  discovered  an  open- 
ing (Cumberland  Gulf)  which  he  supposed  to  be  the 
passage,  though  the  season  was  too  late  to  enable  him 
to  continue  the  voyage.  His  vessels  were  only  pro- 
visioned for  six  months.  He  was  warmly  welcomed  and 
encouraged  by  his  steadfast  friend,  Adrian  Gilbeit. 
Three  days  after  his  arrival  he  addressed  a  most  hope- 
ful letter  to  Sir  Francis  Walsingham.  He  assured  the 
Secretary  of  State  that  "  the  North-West  Passage  is  a 
matter  nothing  doubtful,  but  at  any  tyme  almost  to  be 
passed,  the  sea  navigable,  voyd  of  yse,  the  ayre  tolerable, 
and  the  waters  very  depe."  Davis  also  pointed  out  the 
trade  in  oil  and  furs  that  might  be  opened  with  the 
lands  actually  discovered. 

As  soon  as  the  explorer  "  could  take  order  for  his 
maryners  and  shipping,"  he  hurried  up  to  London,  to 
give  a  personal  account  to  the  Secretary  of  State  and  to 
Mr.  Sanderson,  and  to  induce  the  adventurers  to  under- 
take a  second  expedition.  The  merchants  of  Devonshire 
subscribed  liberally,  and  owned  two  of  the  ships  which 
were  fitted  out  for  the  new  attempt.  The  exploring 
fleet  consisted  of  the  Mermaid  (120  tons),  the  Sunshine, 
Moonfihine,  and  a  pinnace  called  the  North  Star,  of  ten 
tons.  The  conduct  of  the  expedition  was  again  intrusted 
to  John  Davis,  who  sailed  in  the  Mermaid^  with  William 


44  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1585. 

Eston  again  as  his  master,  Richard  Pope,  who  had 
been  master's  mate  in  the  former  voyage,  now  received 
command  of  the  Sunshine,  with  Mark  Carter  as  his 
mate,  and  Henry  Morgan  as  purser.  Morgan  was  a 
servant  of  Mr.  William  Sanderson. 

Davis  was  more  than  ever  impressed  with  the  impor- 
tance of  the  service,  and  as  a  larger  squadron  had  been 
intrusted  to  him,  he  resolved  to  attempt  a  more  exten- 
sive examination  of  the  unknown  northern  I'egion  by 
dividing  his  ships  and  sending  Captain  Pope  on  a 
separate  duty.  On  the  7th  of  May  1586,  the  three 
exploring  ships  and  the  little  pinnace  sailed  from  Dart- 
mouth harbour  for  the  discovery  of  the  North-West 
Passage.  Coasting  along  the  southern  shore  of  Ireland, 
the  squadron  was  off  Dursey  Head,  the  northern  point 
of  Ban  try  Bay,  on  the  nth.  Thence  the  General,  as 
the  commander  of  a  fleet  was  then  called,  shaped  a 
course  for  Greenland,  and  on  reaching  60°  N.  latitude, 
he  gave  his  instructions  to  his  second  in  command,  and 
the  Sunshine,  with  the  pinnace  North  Star  as  a  tender, 
parted  company.  Captain  Pope  was  to  seax'ch  for  a 
passage  northward  between  Greenland  and  Iceland  as 
far  as  80°  N.,  if  he  was  not  stopped  by  land.  He  started 
on  this  important  mission  on  the  7th  of  June,  the 
Mermaid  and  Moonshine  continuing  their  voyage,  and 
coming  in  sight  of  the  southern  extremity  of  Greenland 
on  the  15th.  The  pack-ice,  extending  for  several  leagues 
off  the  shore,  rendered  it  impossible  to  land ;  so  Davis 
gave  it  the  name  of  Cape  Farewell,  and  made  sail  in 
order  to  get  a  good  offing,  once  more  entering  the  strait 
which  bears  his  name.  Here  he  encountered  severe 
gales  of  wind  during  the  next  fortnight,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  29th  that  he  again  sighted  the  frowning 


1586.]        FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  45 

mountains  of  Greenland  near  Gilbert  Sound,  his  dis- 
covery of  the  previous  year.  He  at  once  resolved  to 
take  shelter  among  the  islands  which  skirt  the  coast, 
and  there  to  put  together  a  small  pinnace,  vphich  had 
been  brought  out  in  pieces  on  board  the  Mermaid,  to 
examine  the  indentations  of  the  coast  and  act  as  a  scout, 
Davis  accurately  described  the  coast  as  *'  very  high  and 
mountainous,  having  before  it,  on  the  west  side,  a  mightie 
companie  of  isles,  full  of  fayre  soundes  and  harboroughs. 
The  land  was  very  little  troubled  with  snowe,  and  the 
sea  altogether  voyd  of  yce." 

A  boat  was  sent  away  to  sound  for  a  suitable  anchorage, 
and  was  soon  surrounded  by  kaijaks.  As  soon  as  the 
Eskimos  recognised  some  of  the  men  who  had  been  there 
in  the  previous  year,  "  they  hung  about  the  boat  with 
such  comfoi'tablo  joy  as  would  require  a  long  discourse 
to  be  uttered."  Davis  then  landed  on  one  of  the  islands, 
with  eighteen  knives,  and  gave  one  toeach  native.  They 
offered  skins  in  exchange,  but  it  was  explained  to  them, 
by  signs,  that  "  the  knives  were  not  solde,  but  given 
them  of  curtesie." 

Next  day  the  pinnace  was  landed  at  a  convenient 
place  on  one  of  the  islands,  and  while  the  carpenters 
were  employed  in  putting  it  together,  the  people  paid 
continual  visits,  sometimes  as  many  as  a  hundred 
Icayalis  arriving  together.  They  brought  seals,  skins, 
fish,  and  birds ;  and  Davis  visited  their  summer  tents. 
He  was  anxious  to  explore  the  country  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, and  sent  boats  up  the  fiord  for  ten  miles,  which 
discovered  a  comparatively  level  tract  with  grass  and 
moss,  like  an  English  moorland.  Davis  himself,  with  his 
boat's  crew,  walked  several  miles  inland,  seeing  nothing 
but  falcons,  ravens,  and  some  small  land  birds.     On  the 


46  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1585. 

3rcl  of  July  he  made  another  boat  expedition,  attended  by 
fifty  Eskimos  in  their  Imyaks.  He  climbed  to  the  top  of 
a  high  hill  in  order  to  obtain  a  view,  the  natives  being 
very  friendly,  and  helping  the  strangers  up  and  down 
the  rocks.  Having  satisfied  himself  with  regard  to  the 
nature  of  the  country,  he  organised  some  athletic  sports. 
In  long  jumps  the  English  beat  the  natives.  This  was 
followed  by  wrestling-matches,  when  the  strangers  found 
their  match.  The  Eskimos  were  strong  and  nimble,  and 
they  threw  some  of  the  English  sailors  who  were  held 
to  be  good  wrestlers. 

The  pinnace  was  launched  on  the  4th  of  July,  forty 
of  the  Eskimos  willingly  giving  their  assistance.  On  the 
same  day  the  master  of  the  Mermaid  discovered  a  grave 
on  one  of  the  islands,  in  which  several  bodies  were  in- 
terred, with  a  cross  laid  over  them.  It  is  possible  that 
this  may  have  been  a  relic  of  the  Norsemen,  or  that  the 
tradition  of  the  use  of  the  cross  may  have  been  pre- 
served by  the  Skrsellings  from  the  wreck  of  the  Norse 
colonies.  A  few  days  afterwards.  Captain  Davis  went 
for  another  long  boat  expedition  up  one  of  the  fiords. 
These  fiords  run  up  towards  the  interior  glacier  of  Green- 
land for  distances  of  fifty  or  even  a  hundred  miles.  The 
frowning  granite  cliffs  rise  on  either  side  to  a  great 
height,  while  in  several  places  there  are  breaks  where 
small  valleys  are  formed,  bright  with  mosses  and  wild- 
flowers  during  the  short  summer.  In  the  far  distance 
an  occasional  glimpse  is  caught  of  the  white  gleaming 
line  of  the  glacier. 

On  the  return  of  the  General  from  one  of  these  expe- 
ditions, he  found  that  the  natives  had  shown  their  pro- 
pensity for  thieving  in  a  very  persistent  way.  They 
had  stolen  an  anchor,  attempted  to  cut  the  hemp  cable, 


15S6.]        FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  47 

cut  away  the  boat  from  the  stern,  and  had  displayed 
their  hostility  by  throwing  large  stones  on  to  the  decks. 
The  crews  were  very  angry,  and  said  that  Davis's  "  lenity 
and  friendly  using  of  them  gave  them  stomach  for  mis- 
chief." But  he  still  forbore,  and  endeavoured  to  regain 
the  good-will  of  the  natives  by  giving  them  more  pre- 
sents. That  night  they  made  another  attack,  and  the 
boatswain  of  the  Moonshine  was  knocked  down  by  a  large 
stone.  The  patience  of  the  General  was  at  length  ex- 
hausted. He  chased  their  liayalcs  in  a  boat,  but,  of 
course,  to  no  purpose.  Next  day,  however,  a  native  was 
captured,  and  signs  were  made  that  he  would  not  be 
liberated  until  the  anchor  was  restored.  Within  an  hour 
the  wind  became  fail',  and  the  two  ships  hastily  weighed, 
taking  the  Eskimo  with  them.  He  died  during  the 
voyage.  Davis  wrote  a  very  graphic  account  of  these 
people  in  his  journal,  and  collected  a  vocabulary  of  their 
lancruaore. 

o       o 

Up  to  this  time  the  health  of  the  crews  had  been 
excellent.  Only  one  young  man  had  been  taken  ill,  and 
he  died  at  sea  on  the  14th  of  July.  On  the  15th  he 
was  oast  overboard,  "  according  to  the  oi'der  of  the  sea, 
with  praise  given  to  God  by  service." 

When  to  the  southward  of  Gilbert  Sound,  in  6t,°  S'  N., 
Davis  fell  in  with  an  enormous  iceberg  on  the  17th  of 
July.  Its  extent  and  height  were  so  extraordinary  that 
the  pinnace  was  sent  to  ascertain  whether  it  was  land 
or  really  ice.  The  report  that  it  was  indeed  one  gigantic 
mass  of  ice  floating  on  the  sea,  with  bays  and  capes, 
plateaux  and  towering  peaks,  excited  great  astonish- 
ment. Soon  other  masses  began  to  collect  round  the 
ships,  while  the  ropes  and  sails  were  frozen  and  covered 
with  frost,  and  the  air  was  obscured  by  fogs.     This  was 


48  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1585. 

the  more  disheartening  because  in  the  previous  year  the 
sea  was  free  and  navigable  in  the  same  latitude. 

Progress  was  checked,  and  the  men  began  to  despond. 
They  came  aft  very  respectfully  and  advised  their  General 
that  he  should  regard  the  safety  of  his  own  life  and  the 
preservation  of  his  people,  and  that  he  should  not  through 
over-boldness  run  the  risk  of  making  children  father- 
less and  wives  desolate.  The  gallant  seaman  was  much 
moved.  On  the  one  hand,  he  had  to  consider  the  wel- 
fare of  those  intrusted  to  his  charge ;  on  the  other, 
he  was  bound  to  recognise  the  importance  of  achieving 
the  great  business  on  which  he  was  employed  :  "  where- 
upon," he  tells  us,  "  seeking  help  from  God,  the  fountain 
of  all  mercies,  it  pleased  His  Divine  Majesty  to  moove 
my  heart  to  prosecute  that  which  I  hope  shall  be  to  His 
glory,  and  to  the  contentation  of  every  Christian  mind." 
After  much  reflection,  he  finally  resolved  that,  although 
the  Mermaid  was  a  strong  and  sufficient  ship,  yet  not 
so  serviceable  as  a  smaller  vessel  for  this  service,  and 
being  also  a  heavy  expense  to  her  ownei'S,  he  would 
send  her  home  and  continue  the  voyage  in  the  Moonshine. 
Having  come  to  this  decision,  he  steered  eastward  for 
the  land  with  a  fair  wind,  and  anchored  in  an  excellent 
road  in  latitude  66°  30'  N.  on  the  2nd  of  August.  This 
place,  on  the  west  coast  of  Greenland,  is  called  Old 
Sukkertoppen  by  the  Danes.  The  Moonshine  was  re- 
paired and  re-victualled,  while,  according  to  his  invari- 
able custom,  Davis  caused  the  surrounding  country  to 
be  explored. 

William  Eston,  the  master,  went  away  in  a  boat,  and 
returned  with  a  report  that  all  the  land  seemed  to  con- 
sist of  islands.  The  heat  was  very  great,  and  those 
who  went  on  shore  were  much  tormented  by  mosquitos. 


1586.]        FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  49 

Friendly  relations  were  established  with  the  natives, 
commencing  in  a  curious  way.  A  recently  killed  seal, 
with  bladders  tied  to  it,  was  floated  down  to  the  ships 
with  the  flood-tide ;  this  Davis  looked  upon  as  a  friendly 
present,  and  on  the  next  day  the  natives  appeared  and 
began  to  barter  without  fear.  Leaving  the  Mermaid  at 
anchor  preparing  to  commence  her  long  voyage  home, 
Davis  weighed  on  the  15th  of  August,  and  continued 
the  work  of  exploration  in  the  Moonsldne.  Sailing 
across  the  strait,  he  once  more  sighted  the  Cape  of 
God's  Mercy;  and  noticing  a  current  to  the  west,  great 
hope  was  conceived  that  there  might  really  be  a  passage 
by  way  of  Cumberland  Gulf.  But  on  the  19th  of  August 
it  began  to  snow,  and  foul  weather  continued  all  night 
with  much  wind.  The  Moonsliine  was  obliged  to  heave- 
to  off  the  shore.  In  the  morning,  the  weather  clearing 
up,  she  ran  in,  and  was  anchored  in  a  safe  roadstead. 
Next  day  the  General  continued  his  examination  of  the 
coast  to  the  southward,  searching  for  a  passage. 

Davis  surveyed  this  western  coast  from  the  20th  to 
the  28th  of  August,  laying  it  down  from  the  67th  to  the 
57th  parallels  of  north  latitude.  He  found  enormous 
numbers  of  birds  breeding  in  the  cliffs,  which  led  him 
to  suppose  that  there  must  be  a  similar  abundance  of 
fish  in  the  sea.  So  he  hove  the  ship  to  for  about  half 
an  hour,  and  in  that  shoi't  time  the  men  caught  a 
hundred  cod.  He  then  anchored  in  a  roadstead  on  the 
Labrador  coast,  remaining  there  until  the  ist  of  Sep- 
tember. Davis,  as  was  his  wont,  made  an  expedi- 
tion into  the  interior,  and  found  a  wooded  country 
with  abundance  of  game.  His  people  succeeded  in 
bringing  down  numbers  of  birds  with  bows  and  arrows, 
and  they  caught  many  more  cod  at  the  harbour's  mouth. 

D 


50  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1585. 

On  the  ist  of  September  the  Moonshine  was  got  under 
weigh,  and  continued  to  sail  along  the  coast,  with  fine 
weather,  for  three  days.  It  then  fell  calm,  and  the 
vessel  was  brought-to  with  a  kedge-anchor  in  54°  30'  N. 
Again  the  lines  were  put  overboard,  and  immense  quan- 
tities of  cod  were  secured.  "  The  hook  was  no  sooner 
over  the  side,  but  presently  a  fish  was  taken."  On  the 
4th  Davis  anchored  again,  having  passed  a  great  open- 
ing which  seemed  to  offer  another  hope  of  a  passage. 
It  was  probably  the  Strait  of  Belleisle ;  but  the  wind 
was  dead  against  him,  and  he  could  not  enter  it.  While 
they  were  at  anchor,  men  were  sent  on  shore  to  fetch 
some  fish  which  had  been  laid  out  on  the  rocks  to  cure. 
The  place  appears  to  have  been  somewhere  on  the  north 
coast  of  Newfoundland.  Several  Micmac  Indians  were 
lurking  in  the  woods,  and,  without  previous  warning  or 
parley,  they  opened  a  murderous  fire  on  the  English 
sailors  with  their  bows  and  arr-ows.  When  he  saw  this 
from  the  ship,  Davis  quickly  slipped  his  cable,  set  his 
foresail,  and  ran  in  towards  the  shore,  discharging 
muskets  at  the  savages,  which  put  them  to  flight.  But 
two  of  his  men  were  killed  by  the  arrows,  two  seriously 
wounded,  and  only  one  escaped  by  swimming  off  to  the 
ship,  with  an  arrow  through  his  arm. 

The  troubles  of  the  explorers  were  increased  by  a 
furious  gale  of  wind  which  sprang  up  from  the  N.N.E. 
that  evening,  and  lasted  for  three  days.  Some  of  the 
strands  of  the  cable  of  the  sheet-anchor  were  torn  asun- 
der, but  the  others  held,  and  the  Moonsldne  weathered 
the  storm.  Then,  on  the  nth  of  September,  with  a  fair 
W.N.W.  wind,  the  gallant  Davis  shaped  his  coui'se  for 
England,  arriving  in  the  beginning  of  October  1586. 

Meanwhile  the  Sunshine  and  North  Star,  having  parted 


IS86.]        FIRST  AND  SECOND  ARCTIC  VOYAGES.  51 

company  with  Captain  Davis  on  the  7th  of  June,  pro- 
ceeded northward  in  pursuance  of  their  instructions. 
Captain  Pope  anchored  in  one  of  the  ports  of  Iceland 
on  the  nth,  where  he  found  another  Enghsh  ship  from 
Ipswich.  After  remaining  there  a  few  days,  he  resumed 
his  voyage,  and  sighted  the  east  coast  of  Greenland  on 
the  7th  of  July.  Unable  to  approach  the  shore  owing 
to  the  closely  packed  ice  extending  for  several  leagues, 
he  coasted  along  it  until  he  came  in  sight  of  the  moun- 
tains which  Davis  had  named  "  The  Land  of  Desolation  " 
during  the  voyage  of  the  previous  year.  Rounding 
Cape  Farewell,  they  reached  the  rendezvous  at  Gilbert 
Sound  on  the  3rd  of  August.  The  crew  of  the  Siuishine 
appear  to  have  had  several  games  of  football  with  the 
Eskimos.  Two  other  places  on  the  Greenland  coast  were 
visited,  and  there  was  an  unfortunate  encounter  with 
the  natives,  three  of  them  being  killed.  Captain  Pope 
finally  commenced  his  voyage  home  on  the  31st  of 
August.  Three  days  afterwards  they  encountered  a 
severe  gale,  which  obliged  the  Sunshine  to  lay-to,  and  the 
little  pinnace  was  lost  sight  of,  and  never  seen  again. 
Captain  Pope  waited  four  days,  but  nothing  more  was 
ever  heard  of  the  North  Star.  The  Sunshine  arrived 
safely  in  the  Thames  on  the  6th  of  October.  The  account 
of  her  voyage  was  written  by  Master  Henry  Morgan, 
the  purser. 

This  second  voyage  was  looked  upon  by  Captain  Davis 
as  very  satisfactory.  An  immense  extent  of  unknown 
coast-line  had  been  explored,  several  wide  openings  lead- 
ing to  the  westward  had  been  seen,  and  he  was  more 
resolute  than  ever  in  his  desire  to  continue  the  great 
contest  with  Nature  until  the  victory  was  won.  Davis 
had   lost  faith   in   Cumberland   Gulf,   but  he   had  dis- 


62  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1585-86 

covered  another  great  opening  (Hudson  Strait)  which  he 
thought  might  be  a  passage ;  and  his  observations  had 
led  him  to  the  correct  conclusion  that  "  the  north  parts 
of  America  are  all  islands."  The  evidence  that  these 
tentative  voyages  might  be  made  to  pay  their  expenses 
by  bringing  home  cai'goes  of  fish,  was  another  encour- 
aging result  of  this  second  attempt.  Davis  had  been 
unprovided  with  fishing  gear,  had  been  obliged  to 
make  hooks  out  of  bent  nails,  and  to  use  his  sounding- 
lines  to  fish  with ;  while  his  small  stock  of  salt  only 
enabled  him  to  bring  home  about  thirty  couple  of  cod. 
Yet  ho  had  had  ocular  demonstration  of  the  wonderful 
abundance  of  fish  on  the  coast  of  Labrador. 

The  explorer  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  William  San- 
derson from  Exeter,  on  the  14th  of  October.  His  own 
ship  had  brought  home  a  cargo  of  cod-fish,  and  the  Sun- 
shine had  on  board  500  sealskins  and  140  half-skins.  He 
wrote  in  feeling  terms  about  the  loss  of  the  pinnace. 
"  God  be  merciful  unto  the  poor  men  and  preserve  them, 
if  it  be  His  blessed  will."  He  assured  Sanderson  that 
the  extensive  knowledge  he  had  acquired  of  the  Northern 
regions  had  convinced  him  that  the  passage  must  be  in 
one  of  four  places,  or  else  that  it  did  not  exist.  He 
promised  that  if  the  attempt  were  continued  there  should 
be  some  profit  for  the  adventurers,  and  he  declared  that 
he  would  forfeit  all  his  hopes  for  the  future,  and  even 
his  portion  of  his  beloved  Sandi'idge,  rather  than  fail  to 
see  the  end  of  this  great  business.  If  all  others  fell 
away,  there  would  be  no  failing,  no  turning  from  the 
plough  where  this  good  man  and  true  was  concerned. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

THE  THIRD  ARCTIC  VOYAGE. 

Davis,  as  soon  as  he  landed  from  his  second  voyage,  pro- 
ceeded to  Exeter,  to  give  an  account  to  the  "West  Country 
merchants  and  urge  them  to  continue  the  enterprise. 
But  they  had  lost  heart.  Their  expectations  of  large 
returns  were  not  fulfilled.  Davis  vrrote  sadly  that  "  all 
the  westerne  marchant-adventurers  fell  from  the  action." 
He  would  meet  with  a  better  reception  in  London, 
but  meanwhile  he  had  an  interval  of  rest  at  Sand- 
ridge.  His  wife  had  brought  him  another  little  boy 
during  his  absence,  who  was  named  Arthur.  For  a 
short  time  be  enjoyed  the  pleasures  of  home,  discussing 
the  prospects  of  the  discovery  with  his  neighbour  and 
lifelong  friend,  Adrian  Gilbert,  and  inspiring  the  people 
of  Stoke  Gabriel  with  some  of  his  own  enthusiasm. 

During  the  winter  Davis  and  Gilbert  rode  up  to  Lon- 
don together,  to  organise  a  third  expedition  with  the 
help  of  their  unfailing  friend,  William  Sanderson.  This 
merchant-prince  was  himself  an  accomplished  geographer, 
and  a  munificent  patron  of  geographical  research.  His 
great  influence  secured  the  support  of  a  suificient  number 
of  adventurers  in  London  to  enable  Davis  to  fit  out  a 
third  expedition,  and  the  enterprise  was  encouraged  by 
the  Lord  Treasurer  and  Sir  Francis  Walsingham. 

53 


54  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1586. 

The  winter  and  spring  of  1587  was  a  busy  time  at 
Dartmouth.  The  old  Stmshiite,  having  been  battered  by 
the  ice  during  two  previous  voyages,  was  in  sad  want  of 
repair,  and  another  vessel  was  fitted  out  at  Dartmouth, 
called  the  Elizabeth.  It  was  felt  that  there  must  be  an 
attempt  to  make  the  expedition  at  least  pay  its  expenses, 
and  with  this  object  two  vessels  were  to  be  prepared 
for  the  fishery.  One  of  these  was  the  Sunshine;  the 
other  was  a  clincher-built  pinnace  of  about  twenty  tons, 
called  the  Ellen.  Her  staunchness  and  sailing  powers 
were  much  praised  by  her  former  owners,  but  there 
were  some  who  felt  doubtful  about  her  from  the  first, 
"  falling  into  reckoning  that  she  was  a  clincher."  A 
boat  is  clincher-built  when  the  outside  planks  overlap 
each  other,  an  unusual  build  for  a  sea-going  vessel  even 
in  those  days,  and  most  dangerous  in  ice  navigation. 
The  "  clincher  "  was  destined  to  give  her  crew  a  good 
deal  of  trouble.  A  smaller  pinnace  was  also  framed  by 
Pearson,  the  carpenter,  to  be  put  together  and  used  for 
exploring  when  they  reached  the  Creenland  coast. 

Captain  Davis  was  a  most  popular  commander.  Men 
who  had  once  served  with  him  always  wanted  to  enter 
again,  and  his  shipmates  soon  began  to  share  his  enthu- 
siasm for  discovery.  In  the  third  voyage,  William  Bru- 
ton,  who  had  been  master  of  the  Moonshine  in  1585,  now 
entered  as  master  of  the  Elizabeth.  John  Janes,  the 
author  of  the  narrative  of  the  first  voyage,  sailed  again 
as  merchant  for  Mr.  Sanderson,  but  really  as  friend  and 
counsellor  of  the  commander.  Davis  also  had  the  plea- 
sure of  being  able  to  appoint  a  native  of  his  own  village 
as  pilot  of  the  Ellen.  The  Churchwards  were  one  of  the 
principal  families  of  Stoke  Gabriel.  The  name  is  the 
first  in  the  old  parish   register,    which    commences    in 


1587.]  THIRD  ARCTIC  VOYAGE.  55 

1550,  and  it  continues  to  occur  frequently  down  to  the 
present  time.  John  Churchward,  like  Davis  and  other 
natives  of  Stoke  Gabriel,  had  adopted  a  sailor's  life,  and 
now  took  service  under  his  fellow-townsman.  Pearson, 
the  carpenter,  had  shown  ability  and  resource  in  the 
work  of  fitting  out,  and  many  of  the  seamen  had  already 
served  with  Davis.  But  the  men  of  the  Sunsldne  had 
been  entered  for  fishing  and  not  for  discovery — a  mis- 
take which  led  to  misunderstandings — and  the  old  vessel 
could  only  be  partially  repaired. 

At  midnight  on  the  19th  of  May  1587  the  Sunshine, 
Elizabeth,  and  clincher  Allen  weighed  their  anchors  and 
sailed  out  of  Dartmouth  harbour  before  a  fresh  gale 
from  the  north-east.  On  the  21st  the  expedition  met 
the  lie'/  Lion  homeward  bound  from  Spain,  and  requested 
her  captain  to  take  a  packet  of  letters  directed  to  Master 
Sanderson.  It  was  attempted  to  throw  the  parcel,  with 
a  weight  attached  to  it,  on  board  the  homeward-bounder, 
but  it  fell  short,  and  so  only  a  message  could  be  sent. 
Next  day  the  Scilly  Islands  were  sighted,  and  on  the 
25th  the  squadron  was  obliged  to  heave-to,  while  the 
Sunshine  searched  for  a  leak,  which  could  only  be  kept 
under  by  five  hundred  strokes  at  the  pump  during  each 
watch.  The  clincher  proved  a  sad  failure,  and  had  to  be 
towed,  having  lost  her  foremast. 

During  the  voyage  the  master  of  the  Sunshine  had 
trouble  with  his  crew,  because  they  wanted  to  pi-oceed  at 
once  to  the  fishery,  while  he  insisted  upon  keeping  com- 
pany with  the  explorers  until  he  received  orders.  He 
was  afraid  the  men  would  shape  a  contrary  course  while 
he  was  asleep;  but  at  length,  after  much  discussion,  the 
crew  consented  to  keep  company  until  Greenland  was 
reached.     On  the  14th  the  rugged  mountains,  with  the 


56  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1586. 

loom  of  the  glacier  between  their  peaks,  was  sighted, 
and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  i6th  of  June  the  squadron 
came  to  an  anchor  in  Gilbert  Sound. 

Considering  the  importance  of  making  the  voyage  pay 
its  expenses,  with  a  view  to  inducing  adventurers  to  con- 
tinue their  efforts,  Davis  came  to  a  resolution  which  was 
little  less  than  heroic.  He  determined  to  dispatch  both 
the  Sunshine  and  the  Elizahetlt  to  the  fishery,  and  to  con- 
tinue his  voyage  of  discovery  in  the  little  clincher-builfc 
pinnace  Ellen,  of  barely  twenty  tons.  It  was  first  neces- 
sary to  put  the  small  pinnace  together,  and  the  car- 
penters set  to  work,  under  Pearson's  superintendence, 
on  one  of  the  islands.  During  the  night  of  the  20th, 
when  she  was  nearly  ready  for  launching,  the  Eskimos 
came  and  tore  away  the-  two  upper  strakes  for  the  sake 
of  the  iron.  A  blank  cartridge  was  fired  from  a  saker 
(a  gun  about  ten  feet  long,  firing  a  ball  of  four  to  seven 
pounds)  to  frighten  them  away,  and  the  master  of  the 
Elizabeth  went  on  shore  immediately  afterwards.  But 
the  boat  had  been  seriously  injured,  and  it  was  decided 
that  she  should  be  handed  over  to  the  Elizabeth  to  do 
service  at  the  fishery. 

A  more  serious  disaster  Was  reported  on  the  following 
day.  John  Churchward,  who  was  pilot  in  the  Ellen, 
came  to  the  captain  with  the  alarming  news  that  she  had 
sprung  a  leak,  and  that  it  required  three  hundred  strokes 
of  the  pump  during  a  watch  to  keep  her  free  of  water. 
In  this  wretched  little  craft  the  explorers  were  to  hazard 
their  lives.  All  felt  the  crisis  to  be  serious.  Several 
hesitated.  John  Davis  considered  the  matter,  and  his 
decision  was  worthy  of  him.  He  told  his  people  that  it 
would  be  better  to  end  their  lives  with  credit  than  to 
return   with   infamy  and  disgrace.     The  ci'ew  at  once 


1587.] 


THIRD  ARCTIC  VOYAGE. 


57 


accepted  his  words  as  final,  and  resolved  to  live  and  die 
together.  So  at  midnight  on  the  2  ist  the  squadron  finally 
departed  from  Gilbert  Sound,  "  our  two  barks  for  our  fish- 
ing-voyage, and  myself  in  the  pinnace  for  the  discoveiy." 
The  Ellen  proceeded  northwards  along  the  west  coast 


SANDERSON  HIS  HOPE.l 

of  Greenland,  to  which  Davis  gave  the  name  of  the 
London  Coast,  occasionally  bartering  with  Eskimos  who 
passed  in  their  kayaks.  An  observation  taken  by  Davis 
on  the  30th  showed  them  to  be  in  latitude  72°  12'  N., 
with  the  sea  quite  open  to  the  northward  and  westward. 

1  Reproduced  from  Moss'    " Shores  of  the  Polar  Seas,"  by  kind 
periniasiou  of  Marcus  Ward  &  Co,  lim. 


58  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1586. 

It  was  the  most  northern  point  reached  hy  the  great 
explorer.  A  lofty  perpendicular  cliff,  which  is  in  reality 
one  of  several  small  islands  off  the  coast,  was  named, 
after  the  friend  and  chief  promoter  of  the  expedition— 
*'  Sanderson  his  Hope ; "  for  here  it  was  that  there 
seemed  to  be  the  greatest  hope  of  a  passage.  A  very 
grand  sight  was  before  the  discoverers  on  that  memor- 
able 30th  of  June  1587.  A  bright  blue  sea  extended  to 
the  horizon  on  the  north  and  west,  obstructed  by  no  ice 
floes,  but  here  and  there  a  few  majestic  icebergs,  with 
snowy  peaks  shooting  up  into  the  sky,  floated  on  the 
bosom  of  the  deep.  Near  the  horizon,  in  the  far  dis- 
tance, these  icebergs,  distorted  by  the  refraction,  were 
raised  up  into  the  most  fantastic  and  beautiful  forms 
imaginable.  To  the  eastward  were  the  granite  moun- 
tains of  Greenland,  and  beyond  them  the  white  line  of 
the  mightiest  glacier  in  the  world,  upheld  by  the  moun- 
tain buttresses  like  huge  caryatides.  Rising  immediately 
above  the  tiny  vessel  was  the  beetling  wall  of  Hope 
Sanderson,  with  its  summit  850  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
Its  surface  is  slightly  broken  by  narrow  ledges,  on  which 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  guillemots  rear  their  young ; 
and  when  disturbed,  they  fly  out  in  dense  clouds,  and 
return  after  circling  many  times  over  the  water.  At  its 
base  the  sea  was  a  sheet  of  foam  and  spray.  The  little 
clincher  of  twenty  tons  would  have  looked  like  a  bird 
flapping  its  white  wings  over  the  water  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Hope,  when  she  came  thus  to  christen  the 
mighty  cliff  for  all  time.  Insignificant  as  she  appeared 
amidst  that  scene  of  calm  magnificence,  there  were  great 
and  swelling  hearts  on  board  the  Ellen,  on  whom  the 
grandeur  of  the  scene  must  have  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion.    The  refiacted  beauties  on  the  northern  horizon 


ISS;.]  THIRD  ARCTIC  VOYAGE.  59 

were  like  a  scene  in  fairyland, — a  scene  so  utterly  un- 
like anything  that  is  ever  seen  in  lower  latitudes,  so 
bright  and  beautiful  that  it  must  have  seemed  like  the 
very  reflection  of  embodied  hope  to  the  weather-beaten 
explorers.  The  mighty  cliff  was  the  leading  mark  of 
"  Sanderson  his  hope  of  a  North-West  Passage ;  "  with 
large,  open  water  to  the  north.  "No  ice  towards  the 
north,  but  a  great  sea,  free,  large,  very  salt  and  blue, 
and  of  an  unsearchable  depth." 

But  that  night  the  aspect  of  affairs  changed.  The 
little  pinnace  was  obliged  to  alter  course  to  the  west 
owing  to  a  strong  northerly  wind  having  sprung  up,  and 
ran  forty  leagues  in  that  direction  without  sighting  land. 
Captain  Davis  had  been  indefatigable  with  his  scientific 
observations  throughout  the  voyage.  He  fixed  the  lati- 
tude of  Sanderson's  Hope  correctly  at  72°  12' N.  Tho 
variation  of  the  compass  was  28°  W.,  and  the  sun  was 
5°  above  the  horizon  at  midnight,  the  weather  being 
warm  and  calm.  Davis  paid  close  attention  to  the 
phenomena  of  terrestrial  magnetism,  a  subject  the  im- 
portance of  which  was  beginning  to  be  appreciated.  The 
series  of  observations  for  variation  at  London  was  com- 
menced in  1580,  and  in  the  following  year  William 
Borough  published  his  "  Discourse  of  the  Compass  or 
Magnetical  Needle."  This  was  followed  in  1585  by 
Robert  Norman's  "  New  Attractive,"  in  which  the  "  new 
discovered  secret  and  subtil  propertie  "  of  the  dip  of  the 
magnetic  needle  is  explained.  The  investigations  into 
the  properties  of  the  magnet  were  well  known  to  Captain 
Davis,  who  did  his  best  to  increase  the  data  on  which  they 
were  based  by  careful  observations  during  his  voyages. 

On  the  2nd  of  July  the  little  Ellm  encountered  a 
"mighty  bank  of  ice,"  lying  north  and  south,  which 


60  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1586. 

checked  her  progress.  This  was  the  famous  "  middle 
pack,"  a  mass  of  ice  drifting  towards  the  Athxntic,  and 
sometimes  extending  for  200  miles,  its  average  thickness 
being  eight  feet.  The  prevalent  wind  is  from  the  north- 
west, and  the  ice  mass  is  thus  steadily  drifted  south- 
wards, leaving  a  sheet  of  navigable  water  in  its  wake. 
The  wind  prevented  Davis  from  carrying  out  his  first 
intention  of  doubling  the  northern  end  of  the  pack,  and 
reaching  the  "  north  water."  He  therefore  coasted  it 
to  the  southward,  hoping  to  double  the  southern  end 
and  then  run  westward  in  search  of  a  passage.  On  the 
3rd  and  4th  tlie  weather  was  foggy;  but  on  the  6th  it  was 
very  clear,  and  a  close  examination  resulted  in  the  belief 
that  a  lane  of  water  through  the  pack  would  lead  to  an 
open  and  navigable  sea.  These  appearances  are  too 
often  deceptive,  and  they  proved  so  in  the  present 
instance.  The  Ellen  was  taken  up  a  lane  of  water  by 
means  of  oai'S  for  a  distance  of  five  leagues  westerly;  but 
the  ice  had  closed  up,  the  hopeful  appearances  of  open 
water  had  disappeared,  and  there  was  nothing  for  it  but 
to  retrace  her  steps  and  escape  from  being  beset  in  the 
ice.  Fortunately,  it  was  nearly  calm,  and  by  midnight 
of  the  8th  the  explorers  recovered  the  open  sea  to  the 
eastward.  Coasting  along  the  pack  for  three  more  days, 
in  calm  but  foggy  weather,  they  sighted  the  western 
coast  of  Davis  Strait,  and  bartered  with  some  natives 
who  came  out  to  sea  in  their  kaijals. 

Mount  Raleigh,  the  lofty  hill  which  had  been  dis- 
covered and  named  during  the  first  voyage,  was  sighted 
on  the  19th  of  July,  and  by  midnight  the  little  pinnace 
was  off  the  entrance  of  Cumberland  Gulf.  Davis  de- 
cided to  make  a  second  examination  of  this  great  open- 
ing,  and   sailed  along  its  northern  entrance   until  he 


1587.1  THIRD  ARCTIC  VOYAGE.  61 

reached  the  group  of  islands  at  the  end,  which  were  also 
named  after  the  adventurous  young  Earl  of  Cumberland, 
A  large  whale  passed  the  Ellen  while  she  was  at  anchor, 
going  westward  among  the  islands.  Here  Davis  agaia 
observed  for  variation,  and  found  it  to  be  30°. 

Davis  shaped  a  course  on  the  24th  to  recover  the 
open  sea,  and  being  becalmed  at  the  entrance  of  the 
gulf  on  the  25th,  William  Bruton,  the  master,  went  on 
shoi-e  with  a  boat's  crew  to  course  with  their  dogs.  But 
the  dogs  had  become  so  fat  on  board  ship  that  they  were 
scarcely  able  to  run.  Proceeding  on  their  voyage  south- 
ward, they  came  to  a  wide  opening  between  62°  and  63° 
N.  latitude,  to  which  Davis  gave  the  name  of  Lord 
Lumley's  Inlet;  and  a  headland  passed  on  the  31st  was 
called  the  Earl  of  Warwick's  Foreland.  The  inlet  was 
clearly  Frobisher's  Strait,  and  the  land  was  no  other  than 
the  Meta  Incognita  of  that  navigator.  This  has  been 
placed  beyond  any  doubt  through  the  discovery  of  tho 
remains  of  Frobisher's  expedition  in  recent  years  by 
Captain  Hall.  But  the  error  in  longitude  led  geo- 
graphers to  place  the  discoveries  of  Frobisher  in  Green- 
land. They  are  thus  shown  on  the  map  of  the  world  of 
1600,  and  this  was  certainly  the  belief  of  Davis. 

Next  came  the  discovery  of  the  great  strait,  at  the 
mouth  of  which  there  were  confused  currents,  called  on 
the  Molyneux  globe,  and  on  the  "New  Map"  of  1599, 
"  the  furious  overfall."  Davis  says  in  the  log  :  "  We  fell 
into  a  mighty  i-ace,  where  an  island  of  ice  was  carried  by 
the  force  of  the  current  as  fast  as  our  barke  could  sail. 
We  saw  the  sea  falling  down  into  the  gulfe  with  a  mighty 
overfal,  and  roring,  with  divers  circular  motions  like 
whirlepooles,  in  such  sort  as  forcible  streams  passe  thorow 
the  arches  of  bridges."     Mr.  Janes  in  his  journal  says ; 


62 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  DAVIS. 


[1586. 


"  We  passed  by  a  very  great  gulfe,  the  water  whirling 
and  roring  as  it  were  the  meeting  of  tides."  Thus  did 
Davis  point  out  the  way  to  future  important  discoveries. 
His  exploratory  labours  threw  the  light  which  marked 
the  way.  "He  did,  I  conceive,"  said  Luke  Fox  many 
years  afterwards,  "light  Hudson  into  his  strait."  After 
coastinw  alonof  an  ice-floe  which  had  drifted  out  of  the 


THE  NEW  MAP. 

1600. 


DAVIS  STKAIT. 


strait,  Davis  came  to  the  point  of  land  which  formed  its 
southern  entrance,  and  named  it  Cape  Chudleigh  (or 
Chidley),  after  his  Devonshire  friend.  Continuing  the 
voyage,  they  named  an  island  off  the  Labiador  coast 
after  Lord  Darcy  on  the  12th  of  August. 

A    boat's   crew   landed   on    Darcy    Island    with    Mr. 
Janes,   in   hopes  of  securing  some  deer  that  had  been 


1587.]  TIIIED  AFtCTIC  VOYAGE.  63 

seen  from  the  ship  browsing  on  its  slopes.  After  chas- 
ing them  twice  round  the  island,  the  deer  took  the  sea, 
and  swam  in  the  direction  of  some  other  islands.  The 
boat  was  unable  to  overtake  them,  but  Mr.  Janes  shot 
a  grey  hare  on  Darcy  Island,  which  was  the  sole  result 
of  his  excursion.  The  rendezvous  for  the  fishing- vessels 
Sunsldne  and  Elizaheth  was  at  the  islands  off  the  Labra- 
dor coast  in  54°  N.,  and,  in  looking  for  them,  the  Ellen 
Btruck  upon  a  rock ;  and  was  in  considerable  danger,  as 
she  sprung  a  serious  leak.  Necessary  repairs  were  effected 
during  a  gale  of  wind;  and  on  the  15th  of  August, 
when  in  latitude  52°  12'  N.,  and  thiity-six  miles  from 
the  shore.  Captain  Davis  **  shaped  a  course  for  England 
in  God's  name."  The  fishing-ground  had  been  appointed 
by  Davis  to  be  between  54°  and  55°  N.  The  captains 
of  the  Sunshine  and  Elizaheth  had  been  ordered  to  erect 
cairns  on  every  headland  within  twenty  leagues  of  their 
fishing-ground,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  had  been  done. 
The  vessels  had  probably  retuined  home  without  carry- 
ing out  their  instructions.  When  she  commenced  her 
voyage,  the  Ellen  had  very  little  fuel  left,  and  ordy  half 
a  hogshead  of  water.  After  much  variable  weather,  the 
little  pinnace,  with  her  gallant  crew,  arrived  safely  at 
Dartmouth  on  the  15th  of  September  1587,  and  the 
discoverers  landed,  "  giving  thanks  to  God  for  their  safe 
arrival." 

The  narratives  of  the  first  and  third  Arctic  voyages  of 
Davis  were  written  by  Mr.  John  Janes ;  the  second 
was  written  by  Davis  himself,  the  detached  voyage  of 
the  Sunsldne  being  narrated  by  Henry  Morgan,  the 
purser.  Davis  doubtless  kept  logs  during  all  three 
voyages,  and  drew  charts  as  the  results  of  his  surveys; 
but  the  log  of  his  third  voyage  is   the  only  one  that 


64  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15S6. 

]ias  been  preserved.  The  columns  are  headed  with  the 
months,  days,  hours,  courses,  distances  run,  winds, 
elevation  of  the  pole  or  latitude,  and  remarks.  He 
called  it  his  "  Traverse  Book."  The  narratives  were  first 
published  in  1589  in  Hakluyt's  "  Principal  Navigations." 
In  his  "World's  Hydrographical  Description"  Davis  gives 
a  brief  resume  of  the  three  voyages  and  of  their  results. 

We  have  no  account  of  the  return  of  the  Sunshine 
and  Elizabeth,  nor  of  the  result  of  their  fishing. 
Cnptain  Davis  had  continued  a  hazardous  voyage  of 
discovery,  and  had  exposed  himself  and  his  gallant  fol- 
lowers to  great  risk  and  danger  in  the  little  "  clincher," 
in  order  that  the  adventurers  who  had  promoted  the 
voyage  might  not  be  losers.  We  may  reasonably  hope 
that  the  captain's  object  was  secured,  that  the  fishery  was 
successful,  and  that  the  expedition  paid  its  expenses, 
besides  adding  largely  to  geographical  knowledge. 

The  country  was  in  a  state  of  preparation  for  a 
desperate  struggle  with  Philip  of  Spain.  Sluys  had 
fallen,  and  the  Duke  of  Parma  was  carrying  all  before 
him.  The  invasion  of  England  was  threatened,  and 
the  thoughts  of  every  Englishman  were  concentrated  on 
the  defence  of  his  native  country.  Davis  rendered  an 
account  of  his  discoveries  to  Mr.  Sanderson,  to  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh,  and  to  Adrian  Gilbert.  They  all 
appreciated  his  great  achievement,  and  continued  to 
be  his  true  and  constant  friends.  He  conferred  Avith 
Master  Hakluyt  on  the  incidents  of  his  voyages,  with 
Master  Molyneux  on  his  surveys,  and  with  Master 
Edward  Wright  on  his  scientific  observations.  But  for 
the  present,  there  could  be  no  thought  of  further  dis- 
covery. The  country  was  in  danger,  and  every  faculty 
of  her  sons  must  be  devoted  to  the  work  of  diverting  or 


1587.]  THIRD  ARCTIC  VOYAGE.  65 

overcoming  it.  "  By  reason  of  the  Spanish  fleet  and  the 
unfortunate  time  of  Mr.  Secretar3''s  death,  the  voyage 
was  omitted  and  never  since  attempted." 

Once  more  John  Davis  returned  to  the  home  of  his 
boyhood,  to  beautiful  Sandridge.  Another  chikl  had 
been  born  in  his  absence,  and  had  been  baptized  in 
Stoke  Gabriel  Church  with  his  father's  name  on  the  Sth 
of  July  15S7 — the  very  day  on  which  the  admirable 
seamanship  of  that  father  had  extricated  his  vessel  from 
the  perils  of  the  middle  pack.  The  brave  sailor  now 
had  three  little  boys  playing  round  his  knees,  and 
his  wife  Faith  was  still  true  and  loyal.  Alas !  that 
those  sweet  bells  should  ever  have  become  jangled  and 
out  of  tune. 

We  may  now  take  stock  of  the  Arctic  discoveries 
achieved  by  John  Davis.  Norsemen  had  settled  in 
Greenland  centuries  before,  and  had  disappeared.  Cabot 
had  been  on  the  Labrador  coast ;  Cortereal  and  other 
Portuguese  had  followed  in  his  track,  and  had  possibly 
reached  Ungava  Bay  within  Hudson's  Strait.  Frobisher 
had,  more  recently,  collected  imaginary  ores  on  the 
shores  of  Meta  Incognita,  but  the  position  of  his  dis- 
covery was  unsettled.  No  navigator,  however,  had  pre- 
viously entered  those  seas  whose  scientific  knowledge 
could  be  compared  with  that  of  John  Davis.  All  the 
coasts  and  seas  not  actually  discovered  were  laid  down 
and  mapped  afresh,  and  must  be  considered  to  have 
been  rediscovered  and  first  brought  within  the  actual 
knowledge  of  his  generation  by  him. 

The  great  continent  of  Greenland,  though  indicated 
on  the  Zeno  map,  was  rediscovered  and  made  known  by 
Davis.  Including  the  work  of  Captain  Pope  in  1586, 
the  east   coast   was   traced   from   the   latitude   of   the 

E 


C6  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1586. 

northern  point  of  Iceland  to  Cape  Farewell.  The  west 
coast  was  laid  down  by  Davis  himself,  from  Cape  Farewell 
in  60°  N.  to  Sanderson's  Hope  in  72°  1  2'  N.,  a  distance  of 
732  miles.  But  he  did  not  merely  define  the  coast-lines 
and  make  certain  the  existence  of  the  great  mass  of  land 
which  had  long  been  vaguely  known  as  Greenland.  Ho 
collected  information  respecting  the  physical  conditions 
of  land  and  sea.  He  found  that  heavj'  floes  of  ice  were 
pressed  upon  the  east  coast  and  the  southern  part  of 
the  west  coast,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  approach  the 
land  within  several  leagues.  This  is  the  ice  brought 
down  by  the  great  southerly  current,  which,  flowing  down 
the  east  coast  of  Greenland,  is  checked  in  its  passage  by 
the  Gulf  Stream  flowing  athwart  its  course.  Its  ice- 
encumbered  waters  are  thus  diverted,  and  made  to  turn 
round  Cape  Farewell  and  up  the  west  coast,  until  they 
are  met  by  the  current  (lowing  south  from  BaiTin's  Bay, 
and  again  diverted.  Thus  it  was  that  Davis  was  bafiled 
in  all  his  attempts  to  reach  the  land  until  he  arrived  at 
the  part  of  the  west  coast  to  the  north  of  this  diverted 
southerly  current.  Gilbert  Sound  was  found  to  be  clear 
of  ice  long  before  the  coast  to  the  southward.  In  all 
three  voyages,  Gilbert  Sound,  in  64°  N.,  was  the  first 
land  reached,  while  the  places  to  the  southward  could 
not  be  visited  until  much  later  in  the  summer. 

The  continent  of  Greenland  is  1400  miles  in  length 
by  about  400  miles  in  its  widest  part,  and,  except  a  rim 
of  granitic  mountains  along  the  coast,  which  is  broken 
by  deep  inlets  or  fiords  fringed  with  numerous  islands, 
it  is  covered  by  one  enormous  glacier.  The  glacier  re- 
ceives the  snowfall  from  year  to  year,  and  its  vast  mass 
is  pressed  outwards  in  all  directions.  At  certain  points 
it  reaches  the  heads  of  the  deepest  fiords,  and  is  foi-ced 


15S7.]  THIRD  ARCTIC  VOYAGE.  67 

down  them  until  the  outer  ends  float  on  the  water,  and 
are  broken  off,  forming  icebergs.  These  offshoots  of  the 
main  glacier  at  the  heads  of  fiords  are  called  "  discharg- 
ing glaciers,"  and  they  send  forth  the  great  harvest  of 
icebergs  wliich  float  on  the  surface  of  Davis  Strait,  and 
are  drifted  into  the  Atlantic  during  the  early  summer. 
John  Davis  observed  these  natural  phenomena  with 
admiration  and  astonishment.  lie  saw  the  blink  of 
the  glacier  beyond  the  granite  mountains ;  he  examined 
some  of  the  largest  icebergs,  and  correctly  divined  their 
origin. 

The  mountains  forming  the  rim  which  confines  the 
inland  glacier  present  a  magnificent  aspect  from  the 
sea.  The  long  narrow  promontories  running  out  from 
them  and  the  innumerable  islands  are  all  of  the  same 
primitive  formation.  Davis  examined  these  rocks  with 
care,  and  noticed  the  same  shining  veins  of  mica  which 
Frobisher  had  mistaken  for  or.  s  of  the  j)recious  metals. 
He  made  long  boat  expeditions  up  the  fiords,  and 
climbed  several  hills  to  obtain  a  correct  idea  of  the 
nature  of  the  country.  He  also  noticed  the  character 
of  the  vegetation,  enumerating  the  dwarf  willow,  the 
birch,  the  cloud-berry,  and  several  humble  flowering 
herbs.  The  driftwood  which  comes  down  with  the  East 
Greenland  current  was  puzzling,  and  he  was  unable 
to  account  for  its  appearance. 

The  animal  life,  which  is  so  abundant  in  Arctic  seas, 
was  observed  with  great  interest  by  Davis  and  his  com- 
panions. The  fish,  the  numerous  seals,  the  "  great 
store "  of  whales,  and  the  white  bears  were  seen  in 
great  quantities;  and  boats'  crews  were  sent  away  in 
chase  whenever  a  chance  offered ;  while  reindeer,  hares, 
and  foxes  were  hunted  on  the  promontories  and  islands. 


C8  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15S6. 

IMost  of  the  Ai'ctic  birds  are  referred  to  in  the  narratives 
of  Davis's  voyages,  and  the  incredible  numbers  of  gulls 
and  guillemots,  breeding  on  the  cliffs  or  dotted  over  the 
calm  surface  of  the  sea,  was  another  cause  for  admira- 
tion, as  well  as  a  means  of  supplementing  the  allowance 
of  provisions. 

Davis  took  special  pains  to  describe  the  Eskimos, 
their  superstitions  and  customs,  their  habits  and  mode 
of  life,  their  tents  and  kayaks  or  sealskin  canoes;  and 
he  collected  a  vocabulary  of  their  language. 

In  Denmark  there  was  a  tradition,  still  tolerably  fresh 
in  men's  minds,  of  a  lost  colony  in  Greenland ;  but  the 
ScKjas  recoi'ding  that  interesting  episode  were  known  to 
few.  They  relate  how,  in  the  tenth  century,  a  Norse- 
man settled  in  Iceland,  named  Erik  Hada,  had  discovered 
a  land  to  the  westward  and  named  it  Greenland ;  how 
he  had  returned  and  brought  back  settlers,  who  estab- 
lished themselves  on  the  shores  of  the  deep  fiords ;  how 
churches  were  built  and  a  bishopric  created.  They  tell 
how  Lief,  the  son  of  Erik,  and  his  brothers,  discovered 
coinitiies  still  farther  to  the  westward,  named  Vinlaud, 
Markland,  Helluland ;  believed  to  have  been  Massachu- 
setts, Nova  Scotia,  and  Newfoundland.  Later  chroni- 
cles record  that  after  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury, when  the  black  death  spi-ead  havoc  over  Europe, 
all  communication  with  the  Greenland  colony  ceased, 
and  that  the  Norse  settlers  were  supposed  to  have  been 
destroyed  by  a  small  race  of  men  coming  from  the  north, 
called  Skrajllings. 

Two  centuries  had  elapsed,  and  Davis  was  the  first  to 
revisit  the  sites  of  the  old  Norse  colonies.  He  found 
the  Skra;llings,  afterwards  called  Eskimos,  in  undis- 
puted possession.     Of  the  Norsemen  he  had  never  heard, 


1587.]  THIRD  ARCTIC  VOYAGE.  69 

and  he  saw  no  sign  of  them.  He  gave  a  full  description 
of  the  people  he  met  with,  and  he  also  mentioned  the 
discovery  of  a  grave  with  a  cross  upon  it.  Other  Norse 
graves  have  yiiice  been  discovered  with  runic  inscrip- 
tions. To  Davis  is  due  the  honour  of  having  redis- 
covered Greenland  after  that  great  region  had  been 
buried  in  oblivion  for  more  than  two  centuries. 

Davis  also  explored  that  sea  which  has  ever  since 
been  known  as  Davis  Strait,  He  found  it  open  and 
navigable  along  the  west  coast  of  Greenland  as  far  as 
72°  12'  N".  He  discovered  the  position  of  the  middle 
pack  of  ice,  its  character  and  drift.  Not  content  with 
coasting  along  its  edge,  he  forced  his  way  into  the  pack, 
and  was  beset  for  several  days  in  a  most  perilous  position. 

In  his  "World's  Hydrographical  Description"  he  gives 
an  account  of  the  different  kinds  of  ice  met  with  in  the 
Arctic  regions.  He  explains  how  icebergs  are  formed 
by  being  detached  from  the  glaciers  bordering  on  the 
deep  sea  in  the  fiords,  and  how  they  carry  off  great 
boulders  of  rock.  He  tried  experiments  to  ascertain  the 
flotation  of  ice,  and  showed  the  reason  that  the  icebergs 
"  calve  "  and  turn  over. 

His  extensive  discoveries  and  surveys  along  the 
western  shores  of  Davis  Strait  were  equally  important. 
He  ascertained  the  existence  of  three  great  openings, 
one  of  which  he  twice  explored.  These  were  the 
Earl  of  Cumberland's  Gulf,  Lord  Lumley's  Inlet,  and 
the  great  opening  to  which  he  gave  no  name,  but 
which  was  Hudson's  Strait.  Cumberland's  Gulf  has 
since  been  proved  to  extend  for  160  miles,  and  Lumley's 
Inlet  is  now  known  to  be  identical  with  the  so-called 
Frobisher's  Strait.  But  Hudson's  Strait  is  one  route, 
by  Hecla  and  Fury  Strait  and  Ballot's  Strait,  to  Bering's 


70  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15S5. 

Strait,  and  consequently  a  North- West  Passage,  San- 
derson's Hope,  the  limit  of  the  northern  discoveries  of 
Davis,  is  the  portal  of  another  passage  by  way  of  Barrow 
and  Peel  Straits.  It  is  the  route  taken  by  Sir  John 
Franklin,  and  by  which  that  great  navigator  would  have 
achieved  his  object  if  he  had  been  aware  that  King 
William's  Land  was  an  island.  In  his  letter  to  Master 
Sanderson,  Davis  said  that  there  were  four  openings 
discovered  by  him,  any  one  of  which  might  turn  out  to 
be  the  long-sought  passage.  Modern  research  has  proved 
that  no  less  than  two  of  these  actually  are  North- West 
Passages. 

Davis  also  examined  and  laid  down  the  wdiole  coast  of 
Labrador  from  Cape  Chidley  to  Newfoundland.  A  recent 
writer  has  correctly  observed  that  "it  is  to  Davis  that 
we  owe  the  most  exact  knowledge  of  the  Labrador  coast 
until  modern  times."  ^  Cabot,  Cortereal,  and  others  are 
known  to  have  visited  this  coast,  but  it  is  to  Davis  that 
we  owe  its  first  intelligible  delineation.  The  practical 
results  of  the  great  seaman's  work  were  the  opening  of 
a  most  lucrative  whale  and  seal  fishery  in  Davis  Strait, 
the  extension  of  the  cod-fishery  to  the  coast  of  Labrador, 
and  the  eventual  recolonisation  of  Greenland.  All  these 
benefits  may  be  traced  in  their  origin  to  the  discoveries 
of  Davis.  His  scientific  observations  were  made  with 
regularity  and  care.  He  fixed  his  latitudes  by  meridian 
altitudes  of  heavenly  bodies,  and  took  a  regular  series 
of  observations  for  the  variation  of  the  compass,  and 
probably  also  for  the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle.  His 
diligently  worked  system  of  dead-reckoning,  combined 
with  astronomical  observations,  enabled  him  to  prepare 

1  Professor  Packard,  Bulletin  of  the  American  Geographical 
Society,  vol.  xx.  No.  2,  p.  225  (June  iSSS). 


15S7.]  THIRD  AECTIC  VOYAGE.  71 

chai'ts  of  his  discoveries,  and  his  nautical  experience 
suggested  improvements  in  methods  of  observing  and 
working  which  were  of  great  service  during  that  and 
the  next  generation  to  his  brother  seamen. 

Davis  converted  the  Arctic  regions  from  a  confused 
myth  into  a  defined  area,  the  physical  aspects  and  con- 
ditions of  which  were  understood  so  far  as  they  were 
known.  He  not  only  described  and  mapped  the  ex- 
tensive tract  explored  by  himself,  but  he  clearly  pointed 
out  the  work  cut  out  for  his  successors.  He  lighted 
Hudson  into  his  strait.  He  lighted  Baffin  into  his  bay. 
He  lighted  Hans  Egede  to  the  scene  of  his  Greenland 
labours.  But  he  did  more.  His  true-hearted  devotion 
to  the  cause  of  Arctic  discovery,  his  patient  scientific 
research,  his  loyalty  to  his  employers,  his  dauntless 
gallantry  and  enthusiasm,  form  an  example  which  will 
be  a  beacon-light  to  maritime  explorers  for  all  time  to 
come. 


CHAPTER  V. 

WAR    SERVICES. 

During  the  three  years  following  his  return  from  the 
Arctic  regions,  John  Davis,  like  every  other  British 
seaman  of  distinction,  was  engaged  on  services  connected 
with  the  war  with  Spain, 

Queen  Elizabeth  had  entered  upon  a  war  for  the  de- 
fence of  the  Netherlands  in  1585.  Philip  II,  deter- 
mined to  make  a  great  effort  to  destroy  the  power  of 
England  by  invading  his  enemy's  country,  and  enforcing 
his  claim  to  the  crown  as  the  legitimate  representative 
of  the  House  of  Lancaster,  Preparations  were  made  in 
the  ports  of  Spain  on  a  gigantic  scale,  ships  and  men 
being  collected  from  all  parts  of  Philip's  European 
dominions.  The  great  reliance  of  Spain,  as  regards  her 
navy,  was  on  the  hardy  seamen  of  the  Basque  provinces. 
Sebastian  del  Cano,  who  was  born  on  the  shores  of  the 
Bay  of  Biscay,  was  the  first  to  circumnavigate  the  globe, 
and  Basques,  or  "  Biscayners,"  as  the  English  called 
them,  were  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  whale-fishery. 
They  were  equally  eflicient  in  maritime  warfare,  and 
the  squadron  of  Guipuzcoa  under  Don  Miguel  de 
Oquendo,  and  of  Biscay  under  Don  Juan  INIartinez  do 
Recalde,  formed  the  backbone  of  the  Spanish  Armada. 
At  Bilbao  and  Santander,  twelve  of  the  finest  ships  in 

72 


15S7-91.]  WAR  SERVICES.  73 

Philip's  navy  had  recently  been  built,  and  named  after 
the  twelve  apostles.  The  squadron  of  Andalusia  was 
commanded  by  Don  Pedro  de  Valdez,  an  officer  well 
acquainted  with  the  navigation  of  the  British  Channel, 
and  Don  Hugo  de  Mou^ada  was  chief  of  the  galleasses. 
The  Castilian  admiral  was  Don  Diego  Flores  de  Yaldez, 
who  lost  his  nerve.  He  had  under  his  command  several 
brave  and  noble  captains,  including  the  Marques  de 
Penafiel  in  the  San  Marcos,  Don  Diego  de  Pimentel  in 
the  San  Mateo,  Don  Agustin  Mesia  in  the  San  Luis, 
Don  Francisco  de  Toledo  in  the  San  Felipe,  Don  Diego 
Enriquez  in  the  San  Juan,  and  Don  Antonio  Pereyra 
in  the  Santiacio.  Martin  de  Ventendona,  Caspar  de 
Sousa,  and  Diego  Tellez  Enriquez  led  the  Italian  con- 
tingents in  the  San  Juan  de  Sicilia  and  the  galleon  of 
Florence.  The  laud  forces  con.sisted  of  20,000  soldiers. 
They  were  led  by  Don  Alonzo  de  Leyva,  a  brilliant  and 
dashing  cavalier,  who  had  commanded  a  regiment  of 
noblemen  at  Cemblour.  He  embarked  on  board  the 
Rata,  and  had  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  Caly  O'Connor,  and 
other  Irish  rebels  in  his  company. 

The  whole  Armada  consisted  of  129  vessels,  seven  of 
which  were  upwards  of  1000  tons,  manned  by  8000 
sailors  and  1000  gentlemen  volunteers,  and  seventy-two 
galleys  rowed  by  2080  galley-slaves.  The  ships  were 
built  with  very  high  poops  and  forecaotles,  and  were 
inferior  to  the  English  in  sailing  qualities  and  in  the 
weight  of  their  broadsides.  The  whole  Armada  was 
under  the  command  of  the  Duke  of  Medina  Sidonia,  a 
nobleman  of  the  liighest  rank  and  of  tried  courage  and 
conduct.  He  hoisted  his  flag  on  board  the  San  Marcos, 
with  orders  to  sail  up  the  Channel,  form  a  junction  with 
the  Duke  of  Parma  at  Dunkirk,  and  convoy  his  army 


74  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15S7. 

across  to  the  shores  of  England.  The  Armada  assembled 
at  Ferrol,  and  on  the  2nd  of  July  the  mighty  fleet  sailed 
for  the  English  Channel. 

England  was  not  unprepared.  She  had  already 
entered  upon  her  third  campaign  against  Spain  in 
the  Netherlands,  and  Lord  Willoughby,  with  the  pick 
of  the  English  companies,  was  at  Bergen-op-Zoom. 
Under  the  fostering  care  of  Sir  John  Hawkins,  the 
Queen  possessed  a  navy,  provided  with  ordnance,  which 
was  quite  equal  to  that  of  Spain,  placing  her  in  the 
first  rank  as  a  fighting  naval  power.  The  largest  guns, 
called  cannons,  threw  a  shot  of  66  lbs. ;  and  of  these 
there  were  twenty-six,  distributed  among  the  ten  largest 
ships.  The  demi-cannons  were  32-pounders,  and  of  these 
there  were  fifty-four  in  the  twelve  largest  ships ;  and 
the  culverins,  with  shot  weighing  17  lbs.,  were  distri- 
buted among  the  sixteen  largest  ships.  The  heaviest 
armament  consisted  of  four  cannons,  four  deyni-cannons, 
twelve  culrerins,  and  twenty-two  smaller  pieces.  The 
small  vessels  were  armed  with  demi-culverins  having  <)\- 
pound  shot,  and  saJcers  throwing  shot  of  t,^  lbs.  Great 
improvements  had  also  been  made  in  the  construction 
of  the  Queen's  ships.  In  1583,  under  the  able  superin- 
tendence of  Sir  John  Hawkins,  five  new  ships  had  been 
built.  These  were  the  7Viumph,  of  noo  tons,  the  While 
Bear,  and  Elizabeth  Jonas,  of  900,  and  the  Ark  and  Vic- 
tory, of  800  tons.  The  improvements  consisted  in  their 
sterns  and  forecastles  being  lower,  their  keels  longer, 
and  their  lines  geneially  finer  and  sharper.  The  Ilope^ 
of  800  tons,  was  a  ship  of  the  same  class,  but  some  years 
older.  Three  ships  were  of  600  tons,  namely,  the  Lion, 
EliznhetJi  Bonaveiiture,  and  Mary  Rose,  and  were  of  an 
earlier  type.     The  famous  old  Revenge,  built  in  the  year 


I59I.]  WAR  SERVICES.  75 

1579,  was  one  of  four  500-ton  ships,  tbe  others  being 
the  Nonpareilj  liainhoio,  and  Vangiiard.  The  Dread- 
nought and  Stoiftsure  were  400  tons,  the  Antelope,  Sival- 
low,  and  Foresight  from  350  to  300  ton  ships.  These 
eighteen  large  vessels  formed  the  line  of  battle.  There 
were  also  the  Aid  of  240  tons,  and  fifteen  smaller  vessels 
from  160  to  20  tons. 

The  preparations  of  the  Spanish  Armada  were  reported 
in  England,  and  aroused  vehement  patriotic  feeling 
throughout  the  land.  Noblemen,  wealthy  merchants, 
and  seaport  towns  came  forward  with  money  and  volun- 
teer ships,  and  all  seamen  eagerly  sought  for  employ- 
ment against  the  enemy.  The  Queen's  ships  were  placed 
in  commission  under  the  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham, 
Lord  High  Admiral,  whose  flag  was  on  board  the  Ai'k 
Royal,  with  Roger  Townshend  as  his  flag-captain.  He 
obtained  the  command  of  two  of  the  finest  new  ships, 
the  White  Bear  and  the  Elizabeth  Jona?,  for  his  nephew 
Lord  Sheffield  and  his  son-in-law  Sir  Robert  Southwell, 
while  his  cousin  Lord  Thomas  Howard  had  the  Lion. 
Lord  Henry  Seymour  and  the  Earl  of  Cumberland  had 
the  Jiai7ibow  and  the  Elizabeth  Bonaveuture.  Eight  ships 
were  commanded  by  sailors  whose  names  are  honourably 
known  to  geographers,  and  Arctic  men  were  of  course 
well  to  the  front.  Martin  Frobisher  had  the  Triumph, 
the  largest  ship  in  the  navy.  Captain  Fenton  was  in  the 
Mary  Rose,  and  John  Davis  in  the  Black  Dog.  Sir  John 
Hawkins,  to  whose  ability  and  zeal  the  efficiency  of  the 
fleet  was  mainly  due,  embarked  on  board  the  Victory, 
one  of  the  ships  of  his  new  design,  and  he  had  sufficient 
interest  to  obtain  the  command  of  the  Swallow  for  his 
gallant  young  son  Richard.  Sir  Francis  Drake,  the 
renowned    circumnavigator,    had    the    Revenge,    and    a 


76  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1587. 

number  of  armed  merchant- vessels  were  nnder  his  com- 
mand. His  old  colleague,  Sir  "William  Winter,  was  iu 
the  Vanguard,  and  Captain  Fenner  had  the  Nonpareil, 
with  his  two  brothers  Edward  and  William  in  the  com- 
mand of  the  Mary  Rose  and  Aid.  Robert  Cross,  who 
was  afterwards  a  commander  of  great  distinction,  Sir 
George  Beeston,  and  Sir  Henry  Palmer  had  the  Hope, 
Dreadnought,  and  Aniehpe,  while  Christopher  Baker  was 
in  the  Foresight.  One  other  officer  of  the  fleet  was 
destined  to  be  well  known  both  as  a  gallant  sea-captain 
and  as  an  intelligent  wiiter  on  naval  matters,  but  he 
had  no  separate  command.  This  was  Sir  William 
Monson,  who  was  serving  on  board  the  Charles,  a 
little  vessel  of  70  tons  with  an  armament  of  sixteen 
sakers. 

Lord  Howard  took  the  sea  with  Sir  Francis  Drake 
as  his  Vice-,  and  Sir  John  Hawkins  as  his  Rear- Admiral. 
Lord  Henry  Seymour,  with  the  Eaiiihow,  Vanguard, 
Antelope,  and  a  squadron  of  smaller  ships  was  stationed 
off  Calais  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  Duke  of 
Parma,  whose  army  was  assembling  at  Dunkirk.  The 
Lord  Admiral  with  the  rest  of  the  fleet  cruised  to  the 
westward,  with  head-quarters  at  Plymouth.  When, 
early  in  July  1588,  Lord  Howard  siguified  to  the  Queen 
the  great  difference  in  power  between  the  English  and 
Spanish,  and  advised  her  to  send  more  aid  to  the  sea, 
the  patriotic  enthusiasm  rose  to  boiling-point.  Many 
noblemen  and  gentlemen,  the  names  of  fourteen  of 
whom  are  recorded  by  Stowe  and  Camden,  fitted  out 
vessels  at  their  own  expense,  and  put  to  sea  as  a 
volunteer  squadron  under  the  command  of  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh.  London  sent  sixteen  ships  and  foiar  pinnaces, 
the  Merchant  Adventurers  sent  ten,  while  Bristol,  Exeter, 


I59I  ]  WAR  SERVICES.  77 

Plymouth,  Barnstaple,  and  Dartmouth  all  sent  their 
contingents. 

So  zealous  and  patriotic  a  seaman  as  John  Davis 
could  not  be  less  forward  than  his  fellows  in  those  busy 
times.  From  his  home  at  Sandridge  he  could  give  the 
benefit  of  his  knowledge  and  experience  either  to  the 
officials  at  Plymouth  or  to  his  neighbours  at  Dartmouth, 
who  were  busily  fitting  out  two  vessels,  the  Crescent  of 
70  and  the  Hart  of  30  tons,  commanded  respectively  by 
John  Wylson  and  James  Houston,  as  their  contingent 
towards  the  defence  of  their  country.  For  active  service 
afloat,  Captain  Davis  would  be  in  demand  as  an  expert 
pilot.  We  have  seen  how  zealously  he  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity of  a  few  days'  detention  to  make  a  survey  of 
the  Scilly  Islands.  He  was  also  a  Channel  pilot,  and 
had  constructed  a  chart  of  the  Slieve  (as  the  English 
Channel  was  then  called),  with  soundings,  mainly  from 
his  own  surveys.  His  ability  and  zeal  were  well  known  ; 
and  although  he  had  not  sufficient  interest  to  obtain  the 
command  of  a  large  ship,  he  was  appointed  to  a  hired 
vessel  of  twenty  tons,  called  the  Black  Dog,  to  act  as  a 
tender  to  the  Lord  Admiral.  She  had  a  crew  of  ten 
men  and  an  armament  of  three  sakers.  Her  duty 
would  be  to  remain  near  the  flagship,  to  act  as  a 
cruiser  and  dispatch-vessel,  and  to  pilot  the  Admiral 
in  case  of  need.  She  served  throughout  the  campaign, 
with  the  crew  receiving  the  Queen's  pay.  The  Ark 
Royal  and  the  rest  of  the  fleet  were  in  Plymouth  Sound, 
except  the  squadron  under  Seymour  off  Calais,  when 
Captain  Fleming  arrived  in  hot  haste  to  report  having 
sighted  the  Armada  off  the  Lizard  on  the  20th  of  July 
1588. 

Soon  the  stately  Spanish  ships  were  seen  rounding 


78  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15S7. 

Rame  Head,  and  the  English  fleet  at  once  put  to  sea. 
Lord  Howard  allowed  the  long  line  to  pass,  and  then 
made  a  furious  attack  on  the  Rata,  which  was  commanded 
by  Don  Alonzo  de  Leyva,  and  brought  up  the  rear. 
The  Ark  R<)ij<tl  was  supported  by  the  Triumph,  while 
the  squadron  of  Biscay  under  Don  Juan  Martinez  de 
llecaldo,  the  Vice- Admiral,  rallied  to  the  support  of 
Leyva.  The  English  fought  until  their  ammunition 
was  nearly  exhausted.  It  would  be  on  such  occasions 
as  these  that  the  services  of  Davis  would  have  been 
valuable,  to  run  in  for  stores  and  provisions,  and  to  act 
as  .a  scout  when  the  combatants  drew  off. 

The  night  of  the  21st  was  disastrous  to  the  Spaniards. 
The  Ark  Royal,  Bear,  and  Mary  Rose,  with  their  tenders 
in  advance,  followed  the  hostile  fleet.  In  the  dead  of 
night  the  sky  was  lighted  up  from  the  blaze  of  a  Spanish 
ship.  It  was  the  flag-ship  of  Oquendo,  the  Admiral  of 
Guipuzcoa,  who  turned  her  adrift  and  shifted  his  flag 
on  board  another  vessel.  In  coming  to  her  assistance, 
the  Capitana  of  Don  Pedro  de  Valdez  ran  into  the 
Santa  Catalina,  losing  her  foremast  and  bowsprit.  Hav- 
ing been  left  behind,  and  the  ship  not  being  under  con- 
trol, he  surrendered  to  Drake,  and  was  towed  into 
Dartmouth,  while  the  abandoned  Guipuzcoan  flag-ship 
was  taken  into  Weymouth.  It  was  not  until  the  even- 
ing of  the  22nd  that  Drake  rejoined  the  Admiral. 

During  the  23rd  the  wind  blew  from  the  north,  and 
both  fleets,  as  they  sailed  up  Channel,  manoeuvred  to 
gain  the  weather-gage.  A  desperate  action  was  fought 
all  the  afternoon  until  evening.  Lord  Howax'd  trying 
conclusions  with  the  Marques  de  Peilafiel,  who  was  in 
the  San  Marcos  of  792  tons.  Many  other  ships  were 
engaged,    including    several    volunteers,    and    Camden 


I59I.]  WAR  SERVICES.  79 

mentions  "  Solus  Cochis  Avglus  in  sua,  inter  medios  hosfes, 
navicula  cum  laude  periit."  All  honour  to  "Cockus 
Aiiglus  !  "  concerning  whom  we  know  nothing  more  than 
his  glorious  death.  It  was  almost  a  dead  calm  on  the 
24th,  and  Lord  Howard  was  occupied  in  organising  his 
fleet  in  four  divisions. 

A  fiercely  contested  action  was  fought  off  the  back  of 
the  Isle  of  Wight  on  the  25th,  when  the  Admiral  in 
the  Ark  Royal  led  his  division,  consisting  of  the  Lion 
imder  Lord  Thomas  Howard,  the  Bear  under  Lord  Shef- 
field, the  Elizabeth  Jonas  under  Sir  Robert  Southwell, 
and  the  Victory  under  Sir  John  Hawkins,  into  the 
centre  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  It  was  the  whole  Howard 
connection.  Admiral  Oquendo,  in  his  new  flag-ship  of 
900  tons,  engaged  the  English  flag-ship  and  rammed 
her  stern,  unshipping  the  rudder.  The  Trium'ph  under 
Frobisher,  the  Nonpareil,  and  Mary  Ruse  then  joined  in 
the  fray,  captured  a  Spanish  ship,  and  towed  the  Ark 
Royal  out  of  action ;  but  the  IWinmph  was  seriously 
injured.  For  their  gallantry  in  this  action  Lord  Howard 
knighted  Lord  Thomas  Howard,  Lord  Sheffield,  Hawkins, 
Fioljisher,  and  his  flag-captain,  Roger  Townshend. 

There  were  no  hostilities  on  the  26th  and  27th,  and 
these  no  doubt  were  busy  days  for  the  Lord  Admiral's 
tender,  passing  to  and  fro  with  ammunition  and  storea 
Lord  Howard  went  to  Dover  himself  on  the  27th,  and 
forming  a  junction  with  the  squadron  of  Lord  Henry 
Seymour,  he  followed  the  Spanish  fleet  to  Calais  Roads, 
which  they  had  leached  on  the  same  day.  The  two 
fleets  were  anchored  within  half  a  mile  of  each  other. 

During  the  whole  of  the  28th  of  July  Lord  Howard 
was  preparing  to  send  fireships  down  into  the  Spanish 
fleet.     "He  emptied  eight  of  his  basest  barkes,"  says 


80  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS  [15S7. 

Stowe,  "  and  put  erein  combustible  matter,  which  in 
the  evening  were  subtillie  set  on  fire,  and,  with  advan- 
tage of  wind  and  tide,  guided  witliin  reach  of  cannon- 
shot  before  the  Spaniards  could  discern  the  same.  Then 
the  flames  grew  fierce  with  sudden  terror  to  the  enemy, 
in  which  fear  they  were  all  amazed  with  shrikes  and 
loud  outcry es,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  neare 
inhabitants.  Some  cut  cables,  others  let  the  hawsers 
slip,  and  happiest  they  could  first  begone,  though  few 
could  tell  what  course  to  take."  The  Duke  of  Medina 
Sidonia  kept  his  head,  ordering  the  fleet  to  weigh  and 
rendezvous  at  Gravelines ;  but  the  other  commanders 
appear  to  have  been  completely  demoralised.  The  S(i)i 
Lorenzo,  under  Hugo  de  Mongada,  went  ou  shore  at 
Calais,  all  hands  being  lost. 

While  still  in  disorder,  the  Spanish  fleet  was  attacked 
by  the  bulk  of  the  English  ships,  led  by  Howard  and 
Drake,  on  the  29th.  Ilecalde,  Oquendo,  and  Leyva 
gallantly  strove  to  keep  a  squadron  together  for  the 
protection  of  the  transports.  But  it  was  to  no  purpose. 
The  San  Mateo,  San  Felipe,  and  others  were  driven  on 
shore  on  the  coast  of  Flanders.  On  the  30th  there  was 
a  hard  gale  from  the  N.W.  which  shifted  to  the  S.W., 
and  the  Duke,  after  a  council  of  war,  resolved  to  return 
to  Spain  by  running  before  the  storm  and  rounding  the 
North  of  Scotland.  Thus  the  victory  was  completed  by 
the  elements,  and  only  fifty-four  ships  escaped.  The 
barbarous  treatment  of  the  Spaniards  who  were  ship- 
wrecked on  the  coast  of  Ireland  is  an  indelible  stain  on 
the  British  scutcheon,  and,  to  some  extent,  throws  a 
shade  on  the  brilliant  record  of  that  eventful  year. 

The  Black  Dog,  I'elieved  of  her  duties  as  tender  to  the 
Ark  lioi/al,  went  back  to  Plymouth,  and  Captain  Davis 


IS9I.]  WAK  SERVICES.  fl 

returned  home  after  ten  clays  of  hard  and  most  memor- 
able service.  It  was  doubtless  in  memory  of  this  service 
under  the  Lord  High  Admiral  that  he  dedicated  his 
work  on  navigation,  entitled  "The  Seaman's  Secrets,"  to 
Lord  Hovpard  of  Effingham.  He  was  at  Sandridge  when 
his  fourth  child  was  born.  It  was  seldom  that  his  active 
service  in  distnnt  seas  allowed  the  brave  sailor  to  be 
present  at  family  ceremonies.  But  he  stood  at  the  font 
in  Stoke  Gabriel  Church  when  this  child  was  baptized 
with  the  name  of  Philip  on  the  9th  of  February  1589. 

The  total  overthrow  of  the  great  Armada  of  Spain 
was  immediately  followed  by  numerous  enterprises, 
undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  harassing  and  destroying 
Spanish  commerce,  and  ships  were  fitted  out  by  noble- 
men and  merchants,  with  the  approval,  and  often  with 
the  assistance,  of  the  Government.  John  Davis  had  a 
firm  friend  in  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh,  and  he  deservedly 
retained  the  full  confidence  of  Master  Sanderson.  He, 
therefore,  had  good  reason  to  hope  that  he  would  receive 
a  command  with  the  object  of  carrying  on  the  war  with 
his  country's  enemies. 

George  Clifford,  the  young  Eai'l  of  Cumbei-land,  had 
been  fond  of  mathematics  and  geographical  science  ever 
since  he  was  a  student  at  Oxford,  and  in  those  early 
days  he  had  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Captain  Davis, 
who  had  named  a  deep  inlet  on  the  west  side  of  Davis 
Strait  in  his  honour.  He  had  grown  up  to  be  a  noble- 
man of  a  most  adventurous  disposition.  He  had  com- 
manded the  Elizaheth  Bonave7iture  with  credit  in  the 
repulse  of  the  Spanish  Armada.  In  the  following  year 
be  determined  to  lead  an  expedition  at  his  own  expense 
to  prey  upon  Spanish  commerce.  The  Queen  lent  him 
one  of  her  ships,  the  Victvri/,  of  800  tons,  and  he  fitted 

P 


82  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1587. 

out  three  small  vessels,  called  the  ]\fargaret  and  the  Meg, 
and  a  caravel.  His  chief  reliance  was  on  Captain 
Christopher  Lister,  a  neighbour  in  Yorkshire,  a  man  of 
great  resolution ;  and  he  also  had  with  him,  as  captain 
of  the  Meg,  the  same  William  Monson  who  had  served 
on  board  the  Charles  in  the  fleet  that  repulsed  the 
Spanish  Armada,  and  who  was  destined  to  rise  to  high 
rank  in  the  navy.  The  eminent  mathematician  and 
cosmographer,  Master  Edward  Wright,  was  induced  to 
accompany  the  Earl,  and  he  was  the  historian  of  the 
voyage.  Several  gentlemen  volunteers  embai-ked  in  the 
enterprise,  and  there  were  rather  less  than  400  soldiers 
and  sailors.  The  Earl  of  Cumberland's  expedition  sailed 
from  Plymouth  on  the  i8th  of  June  1589. 

John  Davis  succeeded  in  obtaining  employment  of  the 
same  kind.  lie  fitted  out  a  ship  called  the  Drake  and  a 
pinnace,  the  owner  of  which  was,  in  all  probability,  his 
old  friend  Master  Sanderson,  the  intention  being  to 
unite  his  forces  with  those  of  the  Earl  of  Cumberland. 
Davis  had  for  a  consort  a  ship  called  the  Barke  of  Lime, 
owned  by  Sir  ^^^llter  llaleigh,  and  commanded  by 
Captain  Markesbury.  The  destination  of  these  ships 
was  the  Azores  in  Mid- Atlantic ;  but  we  can  only  derive 
auy  knowledge  of  the  proceedings  of  Davis  from  the 
allusions  to  them  in  Master  Wright's  narrative  of  the 
voyage  of  the  Earl  of  Cumberland,  which,  therefore, 
must  needs  be  our  guide. 

Leaving  Plymouth  on  the  18th,  the  Earl  captured 
three  French  vessels  on  the  21st  of  June,  which  were 
found  to  be  Leaguers,  and  consequently  lawful  prizes. 
Two  were  sent  to  Plymouth,  and  the  third  conveyed  all 
the  French  crews  to  one  of  their  own  ports.  Next  he 
met  some  ships  of  Rotterdam  and   Emden  bound  for 


1591.]  WAR  SERVICES.  83 

Rochelle,  which  were  dismissed ;  and  then  some  Eng- 
lish vessels  returning  from  the  expedition  to  Portugal. 
They  were  supplied  with  provisions  and  water.  Thr.s 
he  proceeded  on  his  course  to  the  Azores,  challenging 
every  sliip  he  met,  fighting  if  they  resisted  search,  dis- 
missing friends,  making  piize  of  Spaniards  or  French 
Leaguers,  and  seizing  property  belonging  to  an  enemy. 
On  the  ist  of  August  he  sighted  the  Island  of  St. 
Michael's,  and  cut  three  ships  out  from  under  the  guns 
of  a  castle,  creating  uproar  and  confusion  in  the  prin- 
cipal port.  The  ships  were  laden  with  wine,  pepper, 
and  salad-oil,  and  on  the  yth  another  small  vessel  was 
captured  between  St.  Michael's  and  Terceira,  with  a 
cargo  of  good  Madeira  wine,  woollen  cloth,  and  silk. 
When  the  predatory  little  squadron  arrived  at  Flores, 
the  most  westerly  island  of  the  Azores,  the  Earl  was 
able  to  keep  on  friendly  terms  with  the  inhabitants  by 
paying  for  their  fresh  water  and  provisions  in  oil,  wine, 
and  pepper.  Mr.  Wright  went  on  shore  at  Flores,  and 
found  the  town  of  Santa  Cruz  in  ruins,  owing  to  attacks 
of  English  privateers.  In  returning  to  the  ship,  a  huge 
fish,  with  jaws  gaping  a  yard  and  a  half  wide,  pursued 
his  boat,  and  he  feared  it  would  be  capsized,  "  but  by 
rowing  as  hard  as  we  could,  God  be  praised,  we  escaped." 
The  learned  mathematician,  who  had  gone  to  sea  to 
observe  the  practical  working  of  problems  in  nautical 
astronomy,  was  passing  through  strange  experiences. 

Captain  Davis  joined  the  Earl  of  Cumberland's  squad- 
ron between  Flores  and  Fayal  in  the  Drake,  and  his 
Lordship's  force  was  increased  at  the  same  time  by  the 
Barlce  of  Lime  under  Captain  Markesbury,  and  by  a  small 
vessel  called  the  Saucy  Jack. 

The  Azores  are  divided  into  three  clusters,  Flores  and 


84 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS. 


[.5S7. 


Corvo  to  the  west ;  Fayal,  Pico,  St.  George,  Terceira, 
and  Graciosa  in  the  centre ;  St.  Michael's  and  St.  Mary 
in  the  east.  Fayal  is  a  beautiful  island,  so  named  from 
the  beech  forests  with  which  it  was  covered  at  the  time 
of  its  discovery  in  the  fifteenth  century.  The  hills  rise 
from  the  seaside  to  high  moorlands  in  the  centre,  cut 
here  and  there  by  deep  ravines.  The  lower  slopes  are 
cultivated,  while  the  hill-tops  and  moorlands  are  covered 


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with  myrtle  and  other  flowering  shrubs.  Fruit  orchards 
abound  in  the  neighbourhood  of  villages,  and  the  vege- 
tation is  like  that  of  the  Riviera.  The  chief  town, 
called  Horta,  is  built  along  the  stony  shore  of  a  road- 
stead which  is  much  exposed  to  the  prevailing  winds, 
and  from  the  sea-wall,  or  the  steep  hills  overhanging 
the  town,  there  is  a  magnificent  view  of  the  volcanic 
\:ieEik  which  forms  the  adjacent  island  of  Pico.  Fayal 
was  colonised  by  Flemings  in  the  days  of  the  Portu- 
guese Duchess  of  Burgundy,  and  their  descendants  had 


1 591.]  WiiR  SERVICES.  85 

as  yet  mingled  their  blood  but  slightly  with  that  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Iberian  peninsula. 

Cumberland's  squadron  reached  Fayal  Iloads  on  the 
27th  of  August;  and  seeing  some  vessels  at  anchor,  the 
Earl  sent  Captains  Lister  and  Monson,  with  the  Saucy 
Jack  and  some  skiffs,  to  cut  them  out.  A  ship  of  250 
tons  with  fourteen  guns  was  moored  under  the  fire  of 
the  castle.  Orre  English  boat's  crew  boarded  her  over  the 
quarter,  another  in  the  hawse.  Most  of  the  Spaniards 
jumped  overboard.  The  prize  was  towed  clear  under  a 
heavy  fire  from  the  castle,  and  was  found  to  be  laden 
with  sugar,  ginger,  and  hides  from  Puerto  Rico.  Three 
smaller  vessels  were  also  captured,  with  cargoes  of  ele- 
phants' teeth,  grain,  cocoa-nuts,  and  skins  from  Guinea. 
They  were  sent  to  England  as  prizes,  and  on  the  31st 
the  squadron  made  sail  in  the  direction  of  the  island 
of  Terceira.  Next  morning  a  boat  under  sail  was 
sighted  coming  out  from  under  the  land.  It  proved  to 
be  manned  by  eight  Englishmen  who  had  escaped  from 
imprisonment.  Finding  a  boat  on  the  beach,  they 
shoved  off  and  put  out  to  sea,  with  no  other  yard  for 
their  mainsail  than  two  barrel-staves  fished  together, 
and  no  provisions  but  what  they  could  take  in  their 
pockets  and  bosoms.  They  brought  certain  intelligence 
that  the  rich  West  Indian  galleons,  for  which  the  Earl 
of  Cumberland  was  in  search,  had  sailed  for  Spain  a 
week  before. 

For  ten  days  the  ships  were  delayed  by  calms  or 
light  and  baffling  winds  in  sight  of  Pico;  and  it  was 
not  until  the  10th  of  September  that  they  entered 
Fayal  Iloads  again,  with  the  intention  of  attacking  the 
town  of  Tlorta.  Some  of  the  leading  inhabitants  came 
on   board  the    Victory,   and   weie  told   that  they   must 


86  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1587. 

either  surrender  the  castle  until  a  ransom  was  paid 
for  the  town  or  abide  the  hazard  of  war.  Don  Diego 
Gomez,  the  governor,  refused  to  surrender,  and  hosti- 
lities commenced.  All  boats  were  sent  on  shore, 
manned  and  armed,  and  the  troops  were  landed  on  a 
small  stretch  of  sandy  beach  about  half  a  league  from 
the  castle,  with  the  Earl  of  Cumberland  at  their  head. 
Armed  men,  both  horse  and  foot,  were  formed  on  a  hill 
called  the  Cerro  de  Carneiro,  which  overlooks  the  town, 
and  two  companies  of  foot,  with  ensigns  flying,  were 
drawn  up  on  the  seashore  in  front  of  the  castle.  The 
guns  of  the  castle  opened  fire  on  the  invading  force  as 
they  were  forming  on  the  beach ;  while  the  ships  of  tlie 
squadron  continued  to  return  the  fire  of  the  castle  until 
the  cross  of  St.  George  was  seen  flying  over  its  ramparts. 
As  the  Earl  advanced,  the  opposing  force  dispersed. 
He  marched  through  the  town  without  meeting  any  re- 
sistance, and  took  possession  of  the  castle,  which  had 
been  evacuated. 

The  town  of  Ilorta  then  consisted  of  about  300  houses, 
well  built  of  stone  and  lime,  with  roofs  of  red  tiles. 
Every  house  had  a  cistern  with  a  garden  at  the  back. 
Vines  with  ripe  clusters  of  grapes  covered  the  walls, 
and  afforded  agreeable  shade.  Fig- trees,  both  green  and 
red,  orange,  lemon,  peach,  and  quince  trees  formed  the 
orchards;  while  potato  roots  and  the  tobacco  plant, 
which  was  already  well  known  and  used  in  England, 
were  cultivated  in  the  fields.  The  Earl  gave  strict 
orders  that  none  of  the  churches  or  religious  houses 
should  be  pillaged,  and  sentries  were  stationed  to  pro- 
tect them  ;  but  the  sailors  and  soldiers  ransacked  the 
private  houses.  The  occupation  continued  for  three 
days,   when    the    inhabitants    paid    a   ransom    of    2000 


1591.]  WAR  SERVICES.  87 

ducats,  chiefly  in  church-plate.  The  castle  was  then  set 
on  fire,  and  the  oidnance  was  either  taken  or  rendered 
unserviceable.  It  consisted  of  fifty-eight  iron  guns,  of 
which  twenty- three  had  been  mounted  on  a  platform 
facing  the  sea. 

Peace  was  thus  restored.  The  governor  only  came 
once  to  parley  about  the  ransom,  and  declined  all  friendly 
intercourse  ;  but  four  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of 
Horta,  doubtless  men  of  Flemish  descent,  accepted  an 
invitation  to  come  on  board  the  Victory  to  dinner. 
They  were  hospitably  entertained,  and  solemnly  dis- 
missed to  the  sound  of  drum  and  trumpet  and  a  peal  of 
ordnance.  A  letter  was  given  to  them  from  the  Earl 
of  Cumberland,  requesting  all  Englishmen  who  should 
visit  the  place  in  future  to  refrain  from  molesting  them, 
except  for  fresh  provisions  and  water.  Next  day  a 
strong  breeze  sprang  up  from  W.S.W.,  the  prevailing 
quarter  at  that  time  of  year,  and  the  ships  were  obliged 
to  weigh  and  stand  along  the  land.  The  gale  continued, 
with  heavy  rain,  for  several  days,  while  the  squadron 
worked  off  and  on  or  lay-to  in  sight  of  St.  George 
Island. 

On  the  23rd  of  September  the  Earl  of  Cumberland 
returned  to  Fayal  Roads  to  recover  an  anchor,  and  Avas 
received  as  a  friend.  The  officers  landed  to  see  the 
toMTi  of  Horta,  and  to  buy  anything  they  wanted,  just 
as  if  they  had  been  in  England,  while  the  inhabitants 
helped  the  sailors  in  the  work  of  filling  their  water- 
casks.  Here  John  Davis  and  Edward  Wright  may 
have  met,  and  most  probably  did  meet,  though  doubtless 
not  for  the  first  time,  conversing  under  the  pleasant 
shade  of  vines,  or  during  walks  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
town.     One  was  the  best  practical  observer  among  the 


88  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1587. 

seamen  of  his  time,  the  other  was  the  most  accomplished 
mathematical  student.  Davis  invented  an  improved 
instrument  for  observing  the  heavenly  bodies,  Wright 
discovered  the  method  of  constructing  charts  on  Mer- 
cator's  projection  by  the  use  of  tables  of  meridional 
parts.  The  town  of  Ilorta  must  have  had  a  special 
interest  for  these  accomplislied  geographers ;  for  it  was 
long  the  home  of  one  of  the  most  emirtent  of  their  pre- 
decessors. Martin  Behaim  of  Nuremburg,  the  inventor 
of  an  astrolabe  for  use  at  sea,  and  the  constructor  of 
the  earliest  globe  now  extant,  was  a  contemporary  of 
Columbus.  A  century  before  Da^^s  and  Wright  met 
at  Horta,  Behaim  married  the  daughter  of  its  founder, 
and  was  settled  there  for  several  years. 

On  the  25th  a  gale  sprung  up  so  suddenly  in  the  night, 
that  the  Earl  himself  aroused  the  men,  worked  at  the 
capstan  with  them,  and  afterwards  cheered  them  up  with 
wine.  On  the  ist  of  October  they  were  off  Graciosa, 
and  Captain  Davis  was  sent  in,  with  two  boats  full  of 
empty  casks  and  about  fifty  men,  to  fill  up  with  water. 
They  met  with  a  determined  resistance,  and  as  they 
pulled  along  the  shore,  seeking  for  a  safe  landing-place, 
troops  of  men  followed  with  ensigns  displayed.  Thirteen 
of  the  boats'  crews  were  wounded  by  their  fire,  and  three 
by  the  fire  of  a  great  piece  which  the  country-people 
dragged  about  with  oxen.  A  retreat  became  necessary ; 
and  as  it  would  be  dangerous  to  attempt  a  landing,  the 
Earl  sent  a  message  on  shore  that  he  would  excuse  their 
conduct  for  the  sake  of  his  friend  King  Antonio.^     Next 

'  Philip  II.  had  seized  Portugal  as  heir  to  the  Cardinal  Henry, 
the  last  king.  Antonio^  Prior  of  Crato,  was  an  illegitimate  son  of 
one  of  old  King  Henry's  brothers.  He  was  a  pretender,  and  was 
acknowledged  as  King  of  Portugal  by  England  and  Holland.  He 
married  a  sister  of  Prince  Mam  ice  of  Orauije. 


1 59 1]  WAR  SERVICES.  89 

day  a  flag  of  truce  came  from  the  shore  with  excuses, 
and  the  chief  inhabitants  offered  to  supply  wine  and 
fresh  provisions.  Tiiey  said  that  they  only  had  rain- 
water stored  in  cisterns,  and  that  they  would  sooner  give 
two  tons  of  wine  than  one  ton  of  water.  Cnptain  Davis 
remained  at  anchor  before  the  town  to  receive  the  pro- 
mised provisions  from  the  people  of  Graciosa,  while  the 
Victory  went  for  a  short  cruise,  and  captured  a  French 
ship  laden  with  fish  from  Newfoundland. 

From  this  time  the  squadron  began  to  suffer  seriously 
from  the  difficulty  of  getting  fresh  water.  Attempts 
to  land  for  water  on  the  island  of  St.  Michael's  were 
repulsed  by  the  inhabitants.  They  next  went  to  St. 
Mary's,  the  easternmost  island  of  the  group.  The  Earl  of 
Cumberland  had  been  joined  by  a  most  valuable  officer 
in  the  person  of  Captain  Amyas  Preston,  who  had 
behaved  with  distinguished  gallantry  at  Calais  Roads  in 
the  previous  year.  He  had  come  out  in  his  own  ship, 
but  had  lost  sight  of  her  one  night,  perhaps  when  dining 
with  the  Earl,  and  was  now  forced  to  stay  on  board  the 
Victory.  At  St.  Mary's  Captains  Davis,  Lister,  and 
Pi'eston  were  sent  in  with  their  boats,  and  a  friendly 
letter  asking  to  be  allowed  to  water.  Resistance  was 
made  to  their  landing,  on  which  Davis  boarded  a  ship 
at  anchor.  She  was  fast  aground,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
retire  before  a  heavy  fire  from  the  shore.  One  prize, 
laden  with  sugar,  was  towed  out,  but  the  English  lost 
two  men  killed  and  sixteen  wounded.  On  the  25th  of 
October  about  six  tons  of  water  were  obtained  from  a 
stream  falling  over  a  cliff  on  St.  George  Island ;  and  on. 
the  31st  the  Margaret,  as  she  was  leaking  badly,  and 
the  prize  taken  at  St.  Mary's,  were  sent  direct  to  Eng- 
land with  the  sick  and  wounded.     Captain  Davis  kept 


90  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15S7. 

company  with  the  Earl  of  Cumberland  in  a  cruise  to- 
wards the  co;ist  of  Portugal,  and  they  were  so  successful 
in  the  capture  of  important  prizes,  that,  by  the  middle 
of  November,  they  wei'e  unable  to  man  any  more,  and 
consequently  made  sail  for  England. 

Na  account  of  the  voyage  home  of  the  Dralce  has  been 
preserved,  but  Master  Wright  has  given  a  graphic  de- 
scription of  the  sufferings  of  the  people  on  board  the 
Victory  from  want  of  water.  Strong  easterly  gales 
delayed  their  return  for  weeks.  They  were  driven  to 
leeward,  and  could  not  fetch  any  part  of  Ireland.  The 
allowance  was  reduced  to  half  a  pint,  then  to  a  quarter. 
At  last  they  could  only  have  three  or  four  spoonfuls  of 
vinegar  at  their  meals,  or  some  liquor  wrung  out  of  the 
wine-lees.  They  remained  in  this  condition  for  a  fort- 
night, when  a  fall  of  hail  relieved  their  sufferings. 
"  We  ate  the  hailstones  more  pleasantly  than  if  they 
had  been  the  sweetest  comfits  in  the  world.  E,aindrops 
were  carefully  saved ;  sheets,  napkins,  and  clouts  being 
hung  up  to  receive  them."  At  length,  on  the  2nd  of 
December,  they  anchored  in  Ventry  harbour,  and  the 
Earl  hurried  on  shore  to  get  fresh  w^ater  and  provisions 
for  the  refreshment  of  his  people.  On  their  passage  to 
England  they  were  delayed  by  light  winds,  and  "were 
faine  to  keep  a  cold  Christmas  with  the  Bishop  and  his 
Clerks."  *  They  landed  at  Falmouth  two  days  after 
Christmas,  and  received  the  melancholy  intelligence  that 
their  best  prize  had  been  shipwrecked  on  the  coast  of 
Cornwall,  and  that  their  gallant  comrade,  Captain  Lister, 
who  went  home  in  charge  of  her,  had  been  drowned. 

The  Earl  of  Cumberland's  squadron  captured  thirteen 
prizes,  and  John  Davis  of  course  received  his  share  of 
*  Rocks  off  St.  David's. 


I59I.]  WAR  SERVICES.  91 

the  prize-money.  Davis  continued  his  cruises  during  the 
following  year,  with  ships  under  Captains  Middleton  and 
Harvey  as  consorts.  Middleton  was  probably  the  same 
officer  who  brought  the  news  of  the  approach  of  the 
Spanish  fleet  to  Sir  Richard  Grenville  at  Flores  in  1591, 

when — 

"  His  pinnace  like  a  fluttered  bird 
Came  flying  from  far  away." 

One  of  their  prizes,  called  the  Uygera  Salvagnia,  became 
the  subject  of  a  lawsuit,  the  goods  being  claimed  by 
Philip  Corsini  and  other  Italian  merchants  in  London. 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh  acted  on  behalf  of  Davis,  and  in 
February  1591  the  matter  was  settled  by  a  compromise. 
These  services,  performed  with  a  view  to  harassing 
the  Queen's  enemy  and  destroying  his  commerce,  were 
satisfactory  in  their  results,  by  enriching  Captain  Davis, 
and  enabling  him  to  join  in  the  conduct  of  an  enterprise 
which  was  far  more  to  his  taste.  He  was  again  placed 
in  a  position  to  undertake  an  expedition  having  geo- 
graphical discovery  for  its  main  object. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH. 

John  Davis  was  so  successful  during  his  cruise  to  the 
Azores,  and  in  the  capture  of  Spanish  prizes  generally, 
that  he  was  able  once  more  to  turn  his  attention  to 
the  great  work  of  discovery.  He  now  possessed  means 
which  placed  him  in  a  position  to  take  his  share  in  the 
expense  of  equipping  an  expedition.  Circumstances  led 
him  to  conceive  the  idea  of  making  the  dreaded  voy- 
age through  Magellan's  Strait,  of  navigating  the  South 
Sea,  and  of  discovering  the  northern  passage  from  the 
western,  instead  of  the  eastern  side.  For  he  was  ever 
faithful  to  the  project  of  increasing  the  wealth  and  pro- 
sperity of  his  country  by  discovering  that  passage  by 
one  way  or  the  other.  His  bold  conception  of  achieving 
the  great  enterprise  from  the  Pacific  side  appears  to 
have  been  partly  due  to  his  acquaintance  with  Thomas 
Cavendish,  who  was  then  anxious  to  undertake  a  second 
voyage  through  Magellan's  Strait,  and  partly  owing  to 
his  sharing  the  knowledge  which  his  friend  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh  had  acquired  from  special  sources  at  about  the 
same  time.  We  may,  therefore,  imagine  John  Davis 
holding  consultations  with  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and 
Adrian  Gilbert  during  the  spring  of  the  year  1591,  at 

which  they  would  have  passed  iu  review  all  that  was 

9Z 


I5I9-9I-]       PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  93 

known  of  Magellan's  Strait,  and  the  arguments  for  and 
against  the  hazardous  attempt.  In  order  that  we  may 
be  able  to  understand  and  appreciate  the  views  of  Davis, 
it  will  be  well  that  we  too  should  take  stock  of  the 
knowledge  within  his  reach,  and  cast  a  glance  over  the 
history  of  previous  voyages  to  the  South  Sea. 

Ever  since  Columbus,  in  his  fourth  voyage,  had  failed 
to  discover  a  strait  after  diligent  search  along  the 
Spanish  Main,  the  quest  had  been  continued  from  time 
to  time  along  the  east  coast  of  South  America.  The 
announcement  of  Yasco  Nunez  de  Balboa  that  there 
was  indeed  another  ocean,  gave  still  greater  importance 
to  the  discovery  of  a  navigable  route  from  the  Atlantic 
to  that  vast  South  Sea,  the  navigation  of  which  must 
lead  to  India  and  the  Spice  Islands.  Charles  V.,  there- 
fore, received  a  proposal  from  Fernao  de  Magelhaes  (^Fer- 
dinand Magellan),  a  distinguished  Portuguese  navigator, 
to  attempt  the  discovery  of  a  passage,  with  complacency. 
Magellan  argued  that  by  continuing  the  passage  south- 
wards along  the  east  coast  of  South  America,  either  the 
land  must  come  to  an  end,  or  there  must  be  a  strait 
through  it.  He  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  an 
expedition  consisting  of  five  vessels,  the  Trinidad  and 
San  A?it'»no,  of  130  tons  each,  the  Victoria,  Concepcion^ 
and  Santia(jo,  of  90  tons;  and  on  the  20th  of  September 
1519  he  sailed  from  Seville. 

Magellan  was  placed  in  a  very  difficult  position  owing 
to  his  Portuguese  nationality.  The  captains  of  the  other 
ships  were  all  Spaniards,  who  regarded  the  elevation  of 
a  foreigner  to  command  them  with  thinly  disguised  jeal- 
ousy and  resentment.  There  were  several  misunder- 
standings on  the  way  out,  and  one  of  the  captains  had 
been  actually  superseded  by  a  Portuguese  adherent  of 


94  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1519. 

]\Iagellan,  when  the  fleet  arrived  at  Port  St.  Julian, 
on  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  in  April  1520,  Here  a 
mutiny  broke  out,  but  its  suppression  was  prompt  and 
ruthless.  One  Spanish  captain  was  stabbed  to  death 
on  his  own  quarter-deck,  another  was  strangled,  and  a 
third  was  put  on  shore  and  abandoned  to  his  fate.  Of 
all  the  leading  Spaniards,  there  only  remained  the  chief 
pilot,  Juan  Rodriguez  Serrano,  and  Sebastian  del  Cano, 
the  pilot  of  the  Victoria.  Serrano  was  sent  to  examine 
the  coast  to  the  southward  of  Port  St.  Julian  in  the 
Santiago,  and  he  discovered  the  mouth  of  the  Santa 
Cruz  river.  But  his  vessel  was  forced  on  shore  and 
wrecked.  He  and  his  men  succeeded  in  making  their 
way  back  to  Port  St.  Julian  by  a  land  journey. 

It  was  not  until  the  middle  of  October  that  Magellan 
resumed  his  southerly  course  with  his  fleet  of  four  ships, 
and  on  the  21st  he  was  off  a  headland  where  the  coast 
turned  to  the  west.  He  seems  to  have  assumed  at  once 
that  he  had  found  the  long- sought- for  strait.  It  was 
the  Feast  of  St.  Ursula,  and  he  called  the  cape  which 
appeared  to  point  the  way  to  his  famous  discovery  by 
the  name  of  the  Ten  thousand  Virgins.  The  smaller 
vessels  were  sent  on  ahead,  and  they  reported  a  strait 
with  very  deep  water.  When  Magellan  anchored  a  few 
leagues  within  it,  he  had  three  months'  provisions  left. 

For  many  days  Magellan  sailed  on  through  the  strait. 
He  saw  fires  at  night  on  tlie  southern  side,  and  named 
the  land  "  Tierra  del  Fuego."  Then  he  came  to  coasts 
bordered  by  woods  of  tall  trees  and  dense  underwood, 
while  far  to  the  south  he  beheld  a  snowy  peak  piercing 
the  stormy  clouds.  He  gave  it  the  name  of  "  Campana 
de  Roldan," — the  bell  of  Roldan, — calling  it  after  an 
officer  of  artillery,  one  of  the  few  who  were  destined 


I59I.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  95 

ever  to  return  home.  The  length  of  the  strait  alarmed 
the  people,  and  there  were  murmurs  against  continuing 
the  voj'age.  When  the  channel  appeared  to  branch  into 
two  openings,  and  the  Sim  Antonio  was  sent  to  examine 
one  of  them,  she  took  the  opportunity  of  deserting  her 
consorts  and  returning  to  Spain.  Magellan  was  a  man 
of  a  cruel  and  savage  disposition ;  he  was  harsh  and 
unconciliatory ;  but  his  perseverance  was  indomitable, 
his  nerve  of  iron.  He  was  hated  and  feared  by  his 
followers.  He  now  told  them  that  they  should  eat  the 
chafing-mats  ou  the  rigging  before  they  should  return, 
and  that  no  man  should  speak  of  going  back  on  pain 
of  death.  After  having  been  thirty-seven  days  in  the 
strait,  Magellan  entered  the  South  Sea  on  the  27th  of 
November  1520,  naming  the  headland  to  the  south 
Cape  Deseado.  He  reckoned  the  length  of  the  sti-ait  to 
be  no  leagues,  which  was  not  very  far  from  the  truth. 
He  then  stretched  boldly  across  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and 
reached  the  islands  of  the  farther  east.  There  the  man 
who  had  so  ruthlessly  slaughtered  his  own  comrades  at 
Port  St.  Julian  was  himself  butchered  by  the  natives, 
while  the  high  honour  of  circumnavigating  the  globe  for 
the  first  time  was  reserved  for  one  with  cleaner  hands 
and  a  better  conscience. 

Sebastian  del  Cano  was  a  Basque  from  the  picturesque 
little  town  of  Guetaria,  on  the  shores  of  the  Bay  of 
Biscay.  Steeped  in  the  heroic  traditions  of  his  native 
land,  brave,  enthusiastic,  and  loyal,  the  young  Basque 
pilot  was  at  the  same  time  so  courteous  and  considerate 
that  he  was  generally  beloved.  He  sailed  as  pilot  on 
board  the  Vicioria,  and  when  that  ship  alone  remained 
out  of  the  fleet  of  five  vessels  which  originally  sailed 
from  Seville,  Sebastian  del  Cano  was  unanimously  elected 


96  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1519. 

to  be  the  commander  who  should  bring  her  home,  and 
be  the  first  to  sail  ronnd  the  world.  He  arrived  at 
Seville  on  the  6th  of  September  1522,  after  an  absence 
of  four  years  all  but  fourteen  days.  It  was  a  memor- 
able achievement,  and  marks  an  epoch  in  maritime 
history.  A  knowledge  of  it  was  slow  to  spread  among 
the  countries  of  Europe,  but  wherever  this  first  circum- 
navigation became  known,  and  especially  in  England, 
it  created  a  deep  impression.  The  Spanish  Government 
at  once  perceived  the  immense  significance  of  the  dis- 
covery of  this  western  route  to  India,  and  resolved  to 
fit  out  a  second  expedition  with  all  possible  dispatch. 

A  fleet  consisting  of  six  ships  and  a  pataca,  or  small 
tender,  was  got  ready  under  the  orders  of  Garcia  Jofre 
de  Loaysa,  while  Sebastian  del  Cano  was  his  second  in 
command  and  chief  pilot.  As  Cano  was  a  native  of  the 
north  of  Spain,  and  recruited  from  the  Biscayan  and 
Galician  ports,  the  fleet  was  assembled  at  Corufia. 
Loaysa  was  on  board  a  vessel  of  300  tons  named  the 
Santa  Maria  de  la  Victoria,  Avhile  Cano  commanded  a 
smaller  vessel  of  200  tons  called  the  Santo  Esjiiritu. 
The  other  four  ships  were  the  Anunciada,  of  170  tons, 
under  Pedro  de  Vera,  the  San  Gabriel,  commanded  by 
Rodrigo  de  Acuiia,  and  two  small  vessels  of  eighty  tons 
each,  called  the  Santa  Jlfaria  del  Parrel  and  the  aS*^. 
Lesmes,  under  Jorge  Manrique  de  Najera  and  Francisco 
de  Hozes.  The  fleet  sailed  from  Corufia  on  the  24th  of 
July  1525  under  very  happy  auspices;  for  the  men  were 
loyal  to  their  ofiicers,  the  most  cordial  relations  were 
always  preserved  between  Loaysa  and  his  captains,  and 
the  expedition  had  the  great  advantage  of  being  piloted 
by  the  first  circumnavigator.  In  the  first  days  of  1526 
the  fleet  was  off  Cape  Virgins ;  but  unfortunately  tlie 


I59I.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  97 

Santo  Espiritu  was  wrecked  near  the  point,  and  Sebastian 
del  Cano  was  taken  on  board  the  admiral.  The  Lesmes 
ran  before  a  gale  as  far  south  as  55°,  and  her  captain, 
Francisco  de  Hozes,  was  the  discoverer  of  the  long 
island  on  the  east  side  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  which  has 
since  been  known  as  Staten  Island.  Bad  weather  obliged 
the  fleet  to  return  to  the  Santa  Cruz  river,  but  on  the 
8th  of  April  1526  three  ships  entered  the  strait.  Obser- 
vations were  taken  of  the  currents  of  the  part  of  the 
strait  where  the  tides  meet,  of  the  number  of  sounds  and 
inlets  on  either  coast,  and  of  the  vegetation  on  the  sea 
shores.  On  the  26th  of  May,  after  having  been  forty- 
eight  days  in  the  strait,  the  fleet  entered  the  South  Sea 
and  began  the  long  voyage  to  the  Moluccas.  But  Loaysa 
died  at  sea  on  the  26th  of  July,  and  Sebastian  del  Cano 
followeal  his  chief  only  four  days  afterwards.  They 
were  buried  in  the  midst  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  thus 
Cano  found  a  grave  in  the  centre  of  the  great  discovery 
in  which  he  had  a  part.  For  he  it  was,  and  not  Ma- 
gellan, who  first  circumnavigated  the  globe.  His  expedi- 
tion, which  was  well  conducted,  deserved  a  better  fate. 
The  ships  eventually  reached  the  Moluccas,  and  their 
presence  acted  as  a  spur  to  the  Peninsular  Governments 
to  complete  negotiations  for  the  settlement  of  their 
bovmdary  dispute. 

A  treaty  was  concluded  between  Spain  and  Portugal 
in  1525.  whereby  the  region  west  of  a  meridian  17°  E. 
of  the  Moluccas  was  recognised  as  belonging  to  the 
latter  power,  which  was  thus  secured  in  quiet  possession 
of  the  Spice  Islands,  Spain  retaining  the  Philippines. 
Hence  the  third  Spanish  expedition  fitted  out  for  the 
Strait  of  Magellan  was  not  ostensibly  intended  to  cross 
the  Pacific,  but  to  explore  the  southern  coasts  of  South 

G 


98  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15 19. 

America.  Two  ships  wei-e  dispatched  from  San  Lucar 
under  the  command  of  Simon  de  Alcazova,  who  sailed 
on  the  2ist  of  September  1534.  His  voyage  was  a 
complete  failure.  After  reaching  the  entrance  of  the 
strait,  Alcazova  returned  to  a  port  in  Patagonia  called 
"Puerto  de  Leones  y  Lobos" — the  harbour  of  sea-lions 
and  seals — wlience  he  undertook  an  exploring  expedi- 
tion inland  in  March  1535.  But  he  was  very  corpulent 
and  in  ill-health.  He  returned  to  his  ship,  and  was 
soon  afterwards  murdered  by  some  mutineers,  who  were 
repressed  and  punished  by  the  loyal  part  of  the  crew. 
One  ship  was  lost  on  the  Brazilian  coast,  and  the  other 
eventually  reached  St.  Domingo  in  the  West  Indies. 

The  wonderful  advance  of  Spanish  discovery  along 
the  west  coast  of  South  America  from  Panama  led  to 
the  entrance  of  Magellan  Strait  from  the  western  side. 
Pizarro  conquered  Peru  in  1533.  On  the  18th  of  Janu- 
ary 1535  the  city  of  Lima  was  founded,  and  five  years 
afterwards  Pedro  de  Valdivia  had  extended  the  domi- 
nions of  Spain  over  Chile.  In  1551  he  founded  the 
town  of  Valdivia  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
Chilian  province.  This  intrepid  conqueror  had  formed 
a  plan  of  returning  to  Spain  by  the  Strait  of  Magellan, 
and  he  dispatched  two  vessels  from  Valdivia,  under  the 
command  of  Francisco  de  Ulloa,  on  a  voyage  of  recon- 
naissance. Ulloa  discovered  the  western  coasts  of  the 
archipelago  of  islands  which  skirts  the  South  American 
continent  between  Chile  and  the  Strait  of  Magellan. 
But  the  death  of  Valdivia,  the  conqueror  of  Chile,  in 
tliat  famous  battle  with  the  Araucanian  Indians  which 
is  poetically  described  in  the  epic  of  Ercilla,  put  an  end 
to  his  projects. 

It  was  not  until  1557  that  any  further  expedition  was 


I59I.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  99 

organised  in  Chile.  It  is  sufficiently  marvellous  that 
anything  of  the  kind  should  have  been  attempted  by  the 
first  settlers  in  the  Chilian  province,  who  were  engaged 
in  a  doubtful  struggle  with  the  brave  and  indomitable 
Araucanian  Indians,  and  who  were  so  many  hundreds 
of  miles  from  their  sources  of  supply.  There  is  nothing 
that  gives  us  a  more  striking  idea  of  the  extraordinary 
energy  and  pluck  of  the  early  Spanish  conquerors  than 
the  fact  that  a  mere  handful  of  them,  while  engaged  in 
a  desperate  struggle  for  life  with  a  numerous  and  most 
formidable  enemy,  should  be  coolly  engaged  in  equipping 
exploring  expeditions.  Yet  such  was  the  work  of  young 
Don  Garcia  Hurtado  de  Mendoza,  the  Captain-General 
who  succeeded  Valdivia  in  the  government  of  Chile. 
He  fitted  out  two  vessels,  called  tho  Sati  Luis  and  the 
San  Sebastic(7i,  under  the  command  of  Juan  de  Ladril- 
leros,  with  the  two  Gallegos,  Hernan  and  Pedro,  as 
pilots.  Ladrilleros  sailed  from  Valdivia  in  November 
1557,  examined  the  coast  to  the  southward,  and  wintered 
in  the  sti-ait.  He  explored  tho  channels  as  far  as  the 
eastern  entrance  at  Cape  Virgins,  and  defined  the  out- 
lines of  the  island  of  Chiloe  and  of  the  Chonos  Archi- 
pelago. But  his  survey  was  conducted  in  the  face  of 
the  most  appalling  hardships  and  sufferings.  Nearly 
the  whole  of  his  crew  perished  of  cold  and  hunger. 
He  navigated  his  vessel  back  to  Chile  with  the  aid  of 
two  survivors.  Such  wei'c  the  deeds  performed  by  those 
heroic  Spaniards  who  made  known  to  the  world  the 
geography  of  South  America.  The  English  were  their 
rivals,  and  followed  close  in  their  footsteps,  but  no  people 
could  excel  the  countrymen  of  Sebastian  del  Cano  and  of 
Juan  de  Ladrilleros  in  gallantry  and  perseverance. 
The  general  belief  of  geographers  during  the  sixteenth 


100  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  ti5i9- 

century  was  tliat  the  Strait  of  Magellan  divided  South 
America  from  a  southern  continent  of  vast  extent.  It 
was  not  until  Cape  Horn  was  rounded  by  the  Dutch 
expedition  of  Schouten  and  Le  Maire  in  1616  that  thia 
theory  was  partly  abandoned,  and  it  continued  to  hold  a 
place  in  the  speculations  of  geographers  until  it  was 
finally  exploded  by  the  voyage  of  Captain  Cook, 

It  would  be  very  interesting  to  know  to  what  extent 
Sir  Francis  Drake  was  acquainted  with  the  discoveries 
of  the  Spaniards,  and  with  their  voyages  to  the  Strait  of 
Magellan,  when  he  undertook  his  own  famous  voyage  of 
circumnavigation.  The  narrative  of  Magellan's  voyage 
was  written  by  the  Italian  Antonio  Pigafetta,  who  was 
a  volunteer  in  the  expedition,  and  came  home  on  board 
the  Victoria.  The  earliest  printed  edition  of  his  work 
is  in  French,  and  is  believed  to  have  been  published  in 
about  1525,  and  the  first  Italian  edition,  translated  from 
the  French  text,  appeared  at  Venice  in  1536.  Another 
brief  narrative  by  Maximilian  Transylvanus,  who  had 
collected  his  information  direct  from  the  crew  of  the 
Victoria,  was  pxinted  at  Cologne  in  1523,  and  in  Rome 
in  1524.  There  can,  therefore,  be  no  doubt  that  Drake 
was  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of  Magellan's 
voyage,  but  he  probably  knew  little  about  the  voyage  of 
Loaysa,  and  nothing  of  the  expeditions  sent  from  Chile, 
while  the  Spanish  maps  and  charts  were  always  jealously 
guarded  by  the  maritime  authorities  at  Seville. 

Drake  had  already  seen  the  South  Sea  from  the  hills 
of  Darien,  and  his  imagination  was  fired  with  the  enthusi- 
astic desire  of  emulating  the  achievement  of  Magellan. 
lie  was  introduced  to  the  Queen  by  his  patron.  Sir 
Christopher  Hatton,  and  the  daring  seaman's  enterprise 
received  her  approbation.     But  the  ships  belonged   to 


I59I-]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  101 

Drake  and  to  pi-ivate  friends,  wlio  furnished  the  means  of 
equipping  the  expedition.  The  fleet  consisted  of  Drake's 
own  ship,  the  Pelican,  of  loo  tons,  of  the  KHzaheth,  under 
Cfiptain  Winter,  of  eighty  tons,  the  Mnrujold,  thirty, 
Swan,  fifty,  and  Christojjher  pinnace  of  fifteen  tons. 
When  it  is  remembered  that,  since  the  voyage  of  Loaysa, 
the  Spaniards  themselves  had  discontinued  the  use  of 
Magellan's  Strait  owing  to  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
of  the  route,  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  reckless 
audacity  of  these  Englishmen  in  undertaking  the  voyage 
with  such  small  vessels.  On  the  15th  of  November  1577 
they  sailed  from  Plymouth  with  a  fair  wind, 

Drake's  fleet  anchored  in  Port  St.  Julian,  the  scene 
of  Magellan's  sanguinary  proceedings,  on  the  20th  of 
June  1578,  and  here  a  somewhat  similar  scene  was 
enacted.  Mr.  Thomas  Doughty,  a  volunteer  in  one  of 
the  ships,  was  accused  of  conspiring  to  create  a  mutiny, 
and  was  beheaded.  There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that 
Drake  was  convinced  of  Doughty's  guilt,  and  that, 
under  the  peculiar  circumstances  he  believed  the  execu- 
tion to  be  a  necessity.  The  fleet,  now  reduced  to  the 
three  larger  ships,  sailed  from  Port  St.  Julian  on  the 
1 7th,  and  was  off  Cape  Virgins  on  the  20th  of  August. 
Here  Drake  changed  the  name  of  his  ship  from  the 
Pelican  to  the  Golden  Hind,  which  was  the  crest  of  his 
patron,  Sir  Christopher  Hatton.  At  a  distance  of  four 
leagues  the  land  was  sighted,  and  as  they  approached 
there  appeared  a  line  of  high  and  steep  grey  cliffs,  full 
of  black  spots,  with  the  sea  throwing  up  spray  along  their 
bases  like  the  spouting  of  whales. 

Drake  then  entered  the  strait,  and  passing  through 
the  Angosturas  or  Narrows,  he  came  to  what  appeared 
like  "a  large  and  main  sea."     Still  advancing,  he  met 


102  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1519. 

with  sinuous  -windings,  numerous  islands,  and  contrary- 
winds,  obliging  him  to  anchor  frequently.  The  explorers 
acknowledged  that  Magellan's  account  Avas  true  as  to  the 
good  harbours  and  abundance  of  fresh  water,  but  the 
gales  were  so  frequent  and  the  anchorages  so  precarious, 
that  "a  ship  navigating  the  strait  had  need  to  be 
freighted  with  nothing  else  but  anchors  and  cables." 
Nevertheless,  Master  Fletcher,  the  historian  of  the 
Voyage,  was  enraptured  with  the  beauty  of  the  scenery. 
lie  mentions  the  lofty  peaks  towering  above  the  clouds, 
the  evergreen  trees,  the  variety  of  plants,  the  climate 
like  that  of  England,  "  a  place  no  doubt  that  lacketh 
nothing  but  a  people  to  use  the  same  to  the  Creator's 
glory  and  the  increasing  of  the  Church."  Drake  entered 
the  Pacific  on  the  6th  of  September,  having  only  been 
sixteen  days  in  the  strait.  He  estimated  its  length  at 
150  leagues. 

A  furious  gale  was  encountered  on  the  day  after 
leaving  the  strait,  and  the  ships  were  separated.  The 
Golden  Hind  was  driven  far  to  the  south,  and  Drake 
was  probably  the  first  to  sight  Cape  Horn.  The  Mari- 
gold parted  company,  and  was  never  heard  of  again, 
and  Captain  Winter,  with  the  Elizabeth,  re-entered  the 
strait,  abandoned  his  chief,  and  returned  to  England. 
Winter  was  three  weeks  in  the  strait  on  his  way  home, 
recruiting  the  health  of  his  crew.  His  sojourn  is  ren- 
dered memorable,  according  to  Clusius,  owing  to  his 
having  discovered  the  medicinal  virtues  of  an  aromatic 
bark  of  which  he  made  use  as  a  cure  for  scurvy  during 
his  homeward  voyage.  The  tree  was  first  accurately 
described  by  Forster,  the  botanist  of  Cooke's  second 
voyage,  in  1773.  The  bark  was  called  Co/Y^a;  Winteramis 
by  Clusius,  and  is  well  known  as  "  Winter's  bark."     For- 


I59I.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  103 

ster  named  the  tree  Driniys  Wintei-i.  It  grows  abun- 
dantly to  a  height  of  forty  feet  in  the  strait,  but  becomes 
a  shrub  ten  feet  high  on  the  western  shores. 

Having  lost  both  her  consorts,  the  Golden  Hind  con- 
tinued her  lonely  course  along  the  western  coast  of 
America.  Drake's  discovery  of  the  coast  of  North 
America,  beyond  the  farthest  point  reached  by  the 
Spaniards  at  Cape  Mendocino,  had  a  special  interest 
for  Davis  and  his  friends  in  studying  the  events  of  the 
voyage ;  for  this  newly-discovered  coast  seemed  to  be 
the  portal  to  a  passage  round  the  northern  shores  of 
America  from  the  Pacific  side.  Drake  left  Guatalco, 
on  the  Mexican  coast,  on  the  i6th  of  Api-il  1579,  and 
was  many  days  at  sea  working  to  the  northward.  His 
reckoning  showed  that  the  Golden  Hind  had  gone  over 
3400  leagues  without  seeing  any  land.  It  became  very 
cold,  and  the  explorers  at  length  sighted  the  coast  of 
America  at  a  point  as  far  north  as  48°,  a  little  to  the 
south  of  the  Straits  of  San  Juan  de  Fuca,  The  land 
appeared  to  be  of  moderate  height,  and  every  hill  was 
covered  with  snow  in  the  month  of  June.  For  many 
years  this  was  the  most  northerly  known  point  on  the 
west  coast  of  America.  Mr.  Fletcher  here  states  that 
*'  though  we  searched  the  coast  diligently  even  unto  the 
48th  degree,  yet  found  we  not  the  land  to  trend  so  much 
as  one  point  in  anj-  place  towards  the  east." 

Drake,  as  is  well  known,  circumnavigated  the  globe, 
and  arrived  safely  at  Plymouth  on  the  26th  of  Septem- 
ber 1580.  The  Queen,  to  show  her  approval  of  his  con- 
duct, and  her  sense  of  the  value  of  his  achievement, 
dined  on  board  his  ship  at  Deptford,  and  conferred  upon 
the  illustrious  seaman  the  honour  of  knighthood. 

There  was  a  Spanish  voyage,  the  particulars  of  which 


104  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1519. 

bet'arae  known  in  England  through  its  liaving  been 
translated  by  Linschoten,  which  also  had  a  special  inte- 
rest for  John  Davis  in  connection  with  the  noithern 
discoveries  of  Drake  on  the  west  coast.  In  the  year 
1582  Francisco  Gal i  (or  de  Gualle)  sailed  from  Mexico 
to  the  Philinpines,  and  in  1584  he  leturned.  Gali  re- 
ported that  the  ciurents  east  of  Jnjian  flowed  to  the 
north  in  a  wide  sea,  and  he  concluded  that  there 
must  consequently  be  a  passage  between  Mexico  or  Cali- 
fornia and  Asia.  He  reached  the  American  coast  in 
37°  30'  N.  This  report  of  Gali,  combined  with  Drake's 
testimony  that  the  American  coast  was  still  trending 
northwards  in  48",  furnished  the  arguments  by  which 
Davis  formed  his  conclusion  that  a  passage  might  be 
found  from  the  Pacific  round  the  north  side  of  America. 
Of  this  he  felt  little  doubt.  But  he  was  impressed  with 
the  difficulties  connected  with  the  navigation  of  Magel- 
lan's Strait,  and  his  misgivings  on  this  point  were  not 
lessened  by  a  consideration  of  the  voyages  subsequent  to 
Drake's  circumnavigation. 

It  was  believed  by  the  Viceroy  of  Peru,  Don  Prancisco 
de  Toledo,  that  Drake  would  attempt  to  return  by  the 
way  he  came,  and  it  was  resolved  that  an  expedition 
should  be  sent  to  the  Strait  of  Magellan  to  intercept 
him.  Advantage  was  to  be  taken  of  the  opportunity  to 
execute  a  careful  survey  of  the  strait,  and  to  report 
upon  the  best  means  of  fortifying  it,  so  as  to  prevent  its 
use  by  the  enemies  of  Spain.  At  that  time  there  was 
an  able  and  experienced  seaman  in  Peru,  who  was 
admirably  fitted  for  the  command  of  such  an  expedi- 
tion. Pedro  Sarmiento  de  Gamboa  was  an  accomplished 
scholar,  a  scientific  geographer,  and  an  intrepid  explorer. 
He  had  been  many  years  in  Peru,  and  his  first  maritime 


I59I-]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  105 

attempt  had  been  inspired  by  the  accurate  knowledge 
he  possessed  of  the  ancient  traditions  of  the  Incas.  He 
learnt  from  the  Peruvian  Amautas,  or  learned  men,  that 
one  of  the  Incas,  named  Tupac  Yupanqui,  had  sent  a 
fleet  of  the  boats  used  by  the  aboriginal  natives  of  the 
Peruvian  coast  to  sail  towards  the  setting  sun  ;  that 
they  reached  two  islands  called  AJiuachumhi  and  JS'iiia- 
chumhi,  and  returned.  Cabello  Balboa,  an  author  who 
wrote  in  about  1586,  mentions  the  same  tradition. 
Sarmiento  undertook  an  expedition  from  Peiu  to  dis- 
cover these  islands,  and  succeeded.  Unfortunately  all 
record  of  this  interesting  voyage  is  lost.  The  experience 
thus  acquired  by  Sarmiento  led  to  his  appointment  to  a 
post  in  the  expedition  of  Alvaro  de  Mandana,  which 
sailed  from  Callao  in  1567,  and  discovered  the  Solomon 
Islands.  His  advice  as  to  the  course  that  should  be 
steered  led  directly  to  this  discovery,  and  he  headed 
exploring  parties  to  examine  the  interior  of  Santa 
Isabella,  the  largest  island  of  the  group.  Sarmiento 
■was  the  author  of  a  report  on  Mandana's  voyage,  and  of 
a  history  of  the  Incas  of  Peru,  but  both  these  works 
are  lost  to  posterity.  Sarmiento  also  drew  the  map 
accompanying  the  elaborate  pictorial  representations 
of  the  traditions  and  pedigree  of  the  Incas,  which  was 
prepared  by  order  of  the  Viceroy  Toledo,  and  sent  to 
King  Philip  II. 

Sarmiento  fitted  out  his  expedition  to  Magellna  Strait 
at  Callao,  the  seaport  of  Lima.  It  consisted  of  two 
vessels,  the  Esjjeranza  and  San  Francisco.  Sarmiento 
himself  embarked  on  board  the  former,  with  the  pilots 
Anton  Pablos  Corzo  and  Hernando  Alonzo,  while  Juan 
de  Villalobos  commanded  the  San  Francisco,  with 
Hernando  Lamero  as  pilot.     There  v/as  a  crew  of  about 


106  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1519. 

fifty  men  on  board  each  vessel.  On  the  nth  of  October 
1579  Sarmiento  sailed  fi-om  Callao.  After  exploring 
some  of  the  channels  in  the  Chonos  Archipelago,  he 
entered  the  strait  in  January  1580;  but  his  colleague 
Villalobos  proved  to  be  remiss  and  untrustworthy,  and 
eventually  parted  company.  Thus  weakened  in  the 
means  at  his  command,  Sarmiento  set  diligently  to  work 
to  survey  the  strait.  He  made  numerous  boat  expedi- 
tions so  as  to  delineate  the  coast-lines  in  more  detail, 
gave  names  to  points,  islands,  and  inlets,  and  sounded 
the  channels  and  anchorages.  On  the  nth  of  February 
he  anchored  in  a  bay  which  he  named  Bahia  de  la 
Gente,  and  a  river  which  empties  itself  into  the  bay  was 
called  San  Juan.  The  place  was  afterwards  known  as 
Port  Famine,  and  here  Sarmiento  erected  a  cross,  and 
took  formal  possession  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain. 
He  selected  two  points  in  the  narrowest  part  of  the 
strait  near  the  eastern  entrance,  which  seemed  suitable 
positions  for  forts  to  command  the  passage,  and  passing 
Cape  Virgins,  he  entered  the  Atlantic  on  the  24th  of 
February  1580. 

Sarmiento  arrived  in  Spain  in  August  1580,  and 
presented  his  journals  and  charts  to  the  King  at 
Badajos.  He  urged  that  the  strait  might  be  com- 
pletely guarded  by  building  two  forts  to  command  the 
channel  in  the  eastern  Angosturas  or  Narrows,  and  that 
there  were  suitable  sites  for  a  colony  farther  up  the 
strait.  Philip,  after  some  consideration,  decided  oi)  the 
adoption  of  Sarmiento's  scheme.  A  fleet  of  twenty- 
three  ships  was  equipped  at  Seville,  in  three  divisions, 
the  first  to  convey  a  new  Captain-General  to  Chile,  the 
second  for  Brazil,  and  the  third,  under  Sarmiento,  to 
settle  a  colony  in  the  straits,  but  the  whole  fleet  was 


I59I-]  PREPAEATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  107 

first  to  see  Sarmiento  established.  The  command  in 
chief  was  given  to  Don  Diego  Flores  de  Valdes,  and  the 
fleet  sailed  from  Seville  on  the  25th  of  September  158  r. 
But  they  encountered  a  gale  of  wind,  and  seven  vessels 
were  driven  on  shore  or  disabled,  including  the  Esperanza, 
in  which  Sarmiento  had  surveyed  the  strait.  The  rest 
put  back  to  Cadiz  in  a  shattered  condition  ;  and  when  the 
fleet  again  sailed  in  December,  it  only  numbered  sixteen 
vessels.  Disaster  followed  this  ill-fated  expedition  from 
the  outset.  After  wintering  at  PJo,  the  fleet  sailed  for 
the  strait;  but  in  December  1582  the  Rlola,  one  of  the 
largest  ships,  with  most  of  the  stores  for  the  colony, 
sprung  a  leak,  and  went  down  at  sea  with  all  hands. 
Three  other  ships  were  left  behind  disabled.  At  length 
the  irresolute  Flores  got  as  far  as  the  Narrows,  but  his 
ships  were  driven  out  of  the  strait  by  a  gale  of  wind, 
and  abandoning  all  further  attempts  for  that  year,  he 
returned  to  Rio.  Flores  then  gave  up  the  command, 
appointing  Diego  de  Eibera  to  succeed  him,  and  to  co- 
operate with  Sarmiento  in  fortifying  the  strait. 

Ribera  and  Sarmiento  reached  their  destination  in 
February  1584;  but,  after  encountering  heavy  gales  of 
wind,  Ptibera  deserted,  leaving  Sarmiento  with  only  one 
ship,  called  the  Maria,  and  the  charge  of  a  number  of 
colonists  who  had  been  landed.  Sarmiento  found  him- 
self with  400  men,  thirty  women,  and  provisions  for 
eight  months.  The  first  settlement  was  formed  near  the 
eastern  entrance,  and  was  called  "  Nombre  de  Jesus." 
Here  150  men  were  established  under  Andres  de  Yiedma. 
The  Maria  was  then  sent  to  Point  Santa  Ana,  within 
the  Narrows,  while  Sarmiento  marched  to  the  same  place 
by  land  with  the  rest  of  the  colonists.  A  settlement 
was  formed  close  to  the  point,  which  received  the  name 


108  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1519 

of  "San  Felipe,"  and  wooden  houses  were  erected. 
Sariniento  then  went  on  hoard  the  Maria  with  the 
intention  of  returning  to  Nombre  de  Jesus,  giving  in- 
structions to  Viedtna  respecting  the  fortification  of 
the  strait,  and  then  proceeding  to  Chile  for  supplies. 
But  a  violent  storm  drove  him  from  his  anchors,  and 
after  beating  against  it  for  three  weeks,  he  was  forced 
to  abandon  the  struggle  and  bear  up  for  Brazil.  He 
procured  a  bark  at  Rio,  which  he  loaded  with  meal  and 
dispatched  to  the  colonists.  His  difficulties,  owing  to 
the  liostility  of  the  local  authorities,  were  so  great,  that 
he  gave  up  the  attempt  to  obtain  further  supplies  in 
Brazil,  and  sailed  for  Spain  in  April  1585.  No  further 
succour  was  sent  to  tlie  unhappy  settlers. 

Sarmiento  was  unfortunate  to  the  last.  On  her  way 
home  the  Maria  was  attacked  by  three  English  vessels 
belonging  to  Sir  Walter  Ptaleigh  near  the  Azores,  and 
captured.  The  illustiious  Spaniard  enjoyed  the  hospi- 
talities of  Durham  House,  and  he  had  the  honour  of 
being  presented  to  the  Queen  by  his  host.  There  was 
probably  no  man  living  who  had  so  complete  a  know- 
ledge of  subjects  in  which  Raleigh  was  interested  as  his 
illustrious  prisoner.  Their  conversations  must  have 
been  most  agreeable  to  both  host  and  guest,  and  while 
Raleigh  acquired  a  knowledge  of  Peruvian  history  and 
of  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  Sarmisnto  enjoyed  the  society 
of  one  of  the  most  accomplished  and  best-read  courtiers 
in  Europe.  Eventually  the  Queen  was  graciously  pleased 
to  set  the  great  Spanish  navigator  at  libert}',  and  to 
present  him  with  a  thousand  crowns.  He  returned  to 
Spain,  and  we  last  hear  of  him  as  being  in  command  of 
troops  at  the  Philippines. 

English  adventurers,  after  the  successful  circumnavi- 


I59I.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  109 

gation  of  Sir  Francis  Drake,  were  stimulated  to  imitate 
his  example.  In  1586  the  Earl  of  Cumberland  fitted 
out  two  vessels,  the  Clifford  of  260  and  a  bark  of  150 
tons,  commanded  by  Robert  Witherington  and  Chris- 
topher Lister,  to  make  a  vo3-age  into  the  South  Seas. 
They  never  reached  the  strait.  Remaining  on  the 
Brazilian  coast,  they  cruised  for  Spanish  prizes,  but 
the  only  valuable  result  of  their  voyage  was  the  capture 
of  Lopez  Yaz,  the  historian  of  the  West  Indies  and  the 
South  Sea,  with  his  manuscript.  This  fortunate  prize 
furnished  detailed  information  of  Spanish  discoveries 
down  to  the  abandonment  of  the  ill-fated  colony  in  the 
Straits  of  Magellan.  The  manuscript  was  translated  by 
Hakluyt ;  but  we  are  not  informed  whether  the  author, 
or  only  the  produce  of  his  brain,  was  brought  to 
England. 

Thomas  Cavendish,  the  second  English  circumnavi- 
gator, was  a  native  of  Frimley  St.  Martin  in  Suffolk,  of 
the  same  family  as  the  Dukes  of  Devonshire.  He  is 
first  heard  •  of  as  captain  of  a  ship  of  his  own  in  the 
expedition  which  Sir  Richard  Grenville  commanded  for 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  with  the  object  of  planting  an  expe- 
dition in  Virginia,  He  accompanied  Grenville  on  his 
inland  journey,  and  returned  to  England  with  him  in 
September  1585.  On  his  return  Cavendish  began  the 
equipment  of  an  expedition  of  his  own,  to  follow  in  the 
footsteps  of  Drake  round  the  world. 

Cavendish  had  three  vessels,  his  own  ship,  the  Desire 
of  140  tons,  the  Content  of  sixty,  and  the  Hugh  Gallant  of 
forty  tons.  Mr.  Francis  Pretty,  of  Eye  in  Suffolk,  the 
historian  of  the  voyage,  sailed  in  the  Hugh  Gallant, 
while  some  valuable  sailing  directions  were  written  by 
Thomas   Fuller  of    Ipswich,  the   master  of  the  Desire, 


110  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1519. 

Sailiug  from  Plymouth  on  the  21st  of  July  1586,  they 
anchored  in  a  harbour  in  47°  50'  S.,  on  the  coast  of  Pata- 
gonia, on  the  17th  of  December,  which  Cavendish  named 
Port  Desire.  l^i-etty  describes  the  sea-lions  and  the 
abundance  of  birds  on  an  island  three  leagues  south-east 
of  the  entrance,  which  was  named  Penguin  Island.  The 
rise  and  fall  of  the  tide  admitted  of  the  ships  being 
careened,  but  the  great  drawback  was  the  scarcity  of 
fresh  water.  Some  was  found  by  digging,  but  it  was 
brackish.  Cavendish  left  Port  Desire  on  the  28th,  and 
on  January  6,  1587,  he  entered  the  Strait  of  Magellan 
and  anchored  in  the  first  Narrow. 

Next  morning,  Cavendish,  having  observed  lights  dur- 
ing the  night,  pulled  to  the  shore  in  his  boat,  and  saw 
three  men  who  made  signals  with  a  flag.  They  proved 
to  be  part  of  the  garrison  which  Sarmiento  had  landed 
to  guard  the  strait.  They  were  in  dreadful  distress. 
Cavendish  offered  to  take  them  on  board  and  land  them 
on  the  coast  of  Peru.  One  man,  named  Tome  Hernan- 
dez, stepped  into  the  boat.  They  said  that,  besides 
themselves,  there  were  only  fifteen  survivors,  twelve 
men  and  three  women.  The  rest  had  perished  of  cold 
and  hunger,  through  ignorance  of  the  means  of  obtain- 
ing supplies  of  birds  and  fish.  Cavendish  told  the  two 
other  men  to  return  to  their  comrades,  and  tell  them 
that  he  would  take  them  all  on  board.  The  boat  then 
left  the  shore. 

When  Cavendish  came  on  board,  he  found  that  a  fair 
wind  had  sprung  up,  so  he  immediately  made  sail,  and 
inhumanly  left  the  unhappy  survivors  of  the  colony  of 
Sarmiento  to  their  fate.  Hernandez  subsequently  made 
a  declaration  respecting  the  proceedings  of  the  colonists 
after  the  departure  of   Sarmiento  in   February   1584. 


I59I.]  PEEPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  Ill 

Many  died  during  the  Avinter,  and  the  ensuing  summer 
was  passed  in  anxious  expectation  of  the  arrival  of  a 
ship  to  relieve  them.  Viedma,  who  was  in  command, 
built  two  small  boats  out  of  the  trees,  and  embarked  his 
people  in  1585.  But  one  was  wrecked  with  most  of  the 
stores,  and  the  attempt  was  abandoned  because  the  re- 
maining boat  would  not  hold  all  the  survivors.  He 
determined  to  separate  the  party  in  small  divisions,  in 
the  hope  that,  by  spreading  along  the  shore,  they  would 
have  a  better  chance  of  finding  subsistence.  They  tried 
to  raise  crops,  but  the  natives  destroyed  them,  so  they 
lingered  on,  living  mainly  on  shell-fish.  San  Felipe 
was  full  of  dead  bodies,  which  the  living  were  too  weak 
to  bury.  Unable  to  remain  there,  the  survivors  were 
on  their  way  to  I^ombre  de  Jesus,  when  Cavendish  fell 
in  with  them.  He  afterwards  landed  at  San  Felipe,  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  Port  Famine.  After  filling 
up  with  fresh  water,  and  supplying  himself  with  fuel  by 
pulling  down  the  houses  in  the  town,  he  proceeded  on  his 
voyage.  He  had  also  salted  down  an  enormous  number 
of  penguins.  On  the  14th  of  January  the  fleet  rounded 
the  most  southern  point  of  the  American  continent,  to 
which  Cavendish  gave  the  name  of  Cape  Fro  ward,  and 
next  day  he  anchored  in  a  cove  five  leagues  to  the  west- 
ward, on  the  south  side  of  the  strait,  where  great 
abundance  of  shell-fish  was  found.  On  the  24th  of 
February  he  entered  the  South  Sea  with  a  fair  wind, 
having  been  seven  weeks  in  the  strait. 

Hernandez,  the  survivor  of  Sarmiento's  colony, 
escaped  from  the  English  when  they  landed  to  fill  their 
water-casks  in  the  Bay  of  Quintero,  near  Valparaiso. 
Cavendish  completed  the  third  navigation  of  the  globe, 
arriving  at   Plymouth  on  the  9th   of   September   1588. 


112  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [15 19. 

His  cruel  abandonment  of  the  surviving  colonists  in 
Magellan's  Strait  left  a  stain  on  his  character  which  was 
deepened  by  his  ruthless  cruelty  at  every  place  he 
visited  along  the  west  coast  of  America.  In  his  first 
voyage  he  showed  that  he  was  callous  to  the  sufferings 
of  others;  in  his  second  he  proved  that  his  inhumanity 
was  not  redeemed  either  by  generosity  in  judging  of  his 
own  comrades  or  by  fortitude  under  misfortunes.  His 
success  was  due  to  good  foitune  and  to  the  excellent 
qualities  of  those  who  served  with  him. 

This  unmerited  success,  so  far  as  Cavendish  was 
individually  concerned,  acted  as  a  strong  incentive  to 
other  adventurers.  In  the  year  following  his  return, 
Mr.  John  Chudleigh,  of  Broad  Clyst,  near  Exeter, 
undertook  a  similar  voyage.  This  Devonshire  worthy 
was,  says  Prince,  "a  right  martial,  bold,  and  adven- 
turous spirit.  He  had  an  honourable  emulation  in  him 
to  equal,  if  not  excel,  the  bravest  heroes  and  their  noblest 
exploits,  not  at  land  so  much,  where  is  the  least  danger, 
but  at  sea.  The  famous  actions  of  Drake  and  Cavendish 
ran  so  much  in  his  thoughts,  that  he  could  not  rest 
without  vmdertaking  to  show  himself  the  third  English- 
man that  had  encompassed  the  world  and  done  nobla 
service  for  his  country."  Chudleigh  was  an  old  and 
dear  friend  of  John  Davis,  who  named  the  cape  at  the 
southern  entrance  of  Hudson  Strait  in  his  honour. 

Chudleigh  was  on  board  the  Wi/d  Man  of  300  tons, 
with  Ben jamin  Wood  as  master;  the  White  Lion,  of  340 
tons,  was  commanded  by  Paul  Wheele,  and  the  Delight  of 
Bristol  by  Andrew  Merrick.  The  account  of  the  voyage 
was  written  by  William  Magoths  of  Bristol,  who  was 
on  board  the  Delight.  The  three  ships  sailed  from 
Plymouth  on  the  5th  of  August  1589,  with  the  intention 


I59I.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SOUTH.  113 

of  passing  through  the  Strait  of  Magellan  and  entering 
the  South  Sea.  The  Deligld  parted  company  off  the 
coast  of  Barbary,  and  never  fell  in  with  her  consorts 
again.  She  anchored  at  Port  Desire,  and  during  her 
stny  Merrick  succeeded  in  finding  two  little  springs  of 
fresh  water  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  bay.  Merrick 
and  his  companions  entered  the  Strait  of  Magellan  on 
the  ist  of  January  1590,  and  anchored  off  an  island 
covered  with  penguins.  They  killed  and  salted  a  great 
number,  but  Magoths  warns  his  successors  that  "  they 
must  be  eaten  with  speed,  for  we  found  them  of  no  long 
continuance."  Kear  Port  Famine  they  took  a  Spaniard 
on  board,  who  was  the  sole  survivor  of  those  unfortunate 
settlers  who  had  been  so  inhumanly  abandoned  to  their 
fate  by  Cavendish.  When  she  got  a  few  leagues  beyond 
Cape  Froward,  the  Delight  was  stopped  by  a  head  wind. 
For  several  weeks  the  explorers  persevered  in  their 
attempt  to  reach  the  South  Sea,  but  after  losing  their 
boats,  anchors,  and  a  number  of  their  comrades,  they 
became  disheartened.  On  February  14th  they  again 
passed  Cape  Virgins  and  shaped  a  course  homewards. 
Merrick  and  the  Spaniai'd  died  on  the  passage  home, 
and  the  ship  was  wrecked  off  Cherbourg.  There  is  no 
narrative  of  the  voyage  of  the  Wild  Mail,  but  we  know 
that  Chudleigh  died  in  Magellan's  Strait,  and  that  his 
ship  returned  in  safety.  Prince  says  that  "  he  did  not 
live  long  enough  to  accomplish  his  generous  designs, 
dying  young,  although  he  lived  long  enough  to  exhaust 
a  vast  estate." 

Tiie  records  of  these  voyages  to  the  Strait,  from 
Magellan  to  Chudleigh,  embracing  a  stirring  period  of 
seventy  years,  formed  the  material  which  John  Davis 
and   his  friends    had    to   consider   in  planning   a    new 

H 


lU  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1519-91. 

expedition  of  discovery.  The  ulterior  aim  of  Davis  was 
always  the  achievement  of  the  northern  passage.  The 
friends  in  council  had  before  them  the  details  of 
Magellan's  voyage  from  the  published  work  of  Pigafetta 
and  the  letter  of  Maximilian  Transylvanus.  Both  had 
been  translated  by  llichard  Eden  in  his  "  History  of 
Travayle,"  a  second  edition  of  which  was  published  by 
Willes  in  1577.  The  manuscript  of  Lopez  Vaz  and 
tlie  information  from  Sarmiento  made  them  acquainted 
with  subsequent  Spanish  enterprises,  and  they  were  of 
course  fully  informed  respecting  the  voyages  of  their 
own  countrymen.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  encouraged  the 
enterprise,  Adrian  Gilbert  became  the  joint-owner  of  a 
ship  with  his  old  friend,  and,  the  question  having  been 
fully  considered,  Davis  resolved  to  make  his  next 
attempt  to  discover  the  passage  by  way  of  Magellan's 
Strait  and  the  west  coast  of  North  America.  The  news 
of  the  melancholy  fate  of  John  Chudleigh  had  arrived 
in  England  during  the  autumn  of  1590,  but  it  only 
stimulated  his  friends  to  fresh  exertions.  Thomas 
Cavendish,  unable  to  rest  on  his  laurels,  was  eagerly 
organising  a  second  expedition,  and,  in  an  evil  hour, 
Davis  consented  to  unite  forces.  Their  fleet  of  four 
ships  and  a  pinnace  was  ready  for  sea  by  the  summer 
of  1591. 


jflLC^  TXl^tiJlS 


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r^>^  QUEEN  ADE^ 
n|elirta?-V  ARCHIPll 

!  «d  (Arcipielaugo  dii 


^  (Arcipielaugt 


ado 


*6V^    • .. 


"ixu" 


IV     DEL     FUEGO 
a  de  los   fuegos) 


MAGELLAN  S^^ 

(Canal  de  Todos  los   S 
Froia  tlie  Admiralty  C 


Scale  of  Nautical  Mfl 


Old. Na7iiM,n/jyy  disiLSeJL,are-place3, 
Saghts  in.  £rwTis7t 


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_Q 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN. 

The  disastrous  voyage  of  John  Davis  to  the  Sti-aits  of 
Magellan  was  commenced  with  bright  hopes  of  achiev- 
ing important  discovery.  It  was  only  in  the  expecta- 
tion of  solving  the  question  of  the  North-West  Passage 
that  Davis  was  induced  "  to  go  with  Cavendish  in  his 
attempt  for  the  South  Sea,"  as  he  told  his  old  Admiral, 
Lord  Howard  of  Effingham,  in  his  preface  to  the 
**  Seaman's  Secrets."  Cavendish  owned  the  Desire,  the 
ship  in  which  he  had  sailed  round  the  world.  His 
expedition  consisted  of  this  vessel,  the  Leicester  and 
Roebuck,  probably  furnished  by  adventurers,  the  Dainty, 
owned  partly  by  Adrian  Gilbert  and  partly  by  Davis, 
and  a  small  craft  called  the  Black  Pinnace. 

Davis  contributed  a  large  sum  to  the  expenses  of  the 
voyage,  and,  at  the  pressing  request  of  Cavendish,  he 
consented  to  command  the  Desire  instead  of  the  Dainty. 
He  did  this  in  opposition  to  the  advice  of  his  friends, 
who  disliked  his  leaving  his  own  ship,  and  commanding 
a  set  of  officers  and  men  selected  by  Cavendish,  and 
previously  unknown  to  him.  His  compliance  was  due 
to  a  feeling  of  loyalty  to  his  chief,  and  to  a  wish  to 
promote  harmony  and  good-will,  which  is  most  honour- 
able to  his  memory.     But   he  only  consented  on   the 

115 


116  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

express  condition  that,  ■when  they  arrived  at  California, 
he  was  to  have  his  own  ship  the  Daintij,  and  the  Black 
Pinnace,  and  to  part  company  with  Cavendish  in  order 
"  to  search  that  north-west  discovery  upon  the  back 
parts  of  America."  The  object  of  Cavendish  was  merely 
to  repeat  his  former  exploit  and  enrich  himself  with 
Spanish  prizes. 

Thomas  Cavendish  embaiked  on  board  the  Leicester 
as  general  of  the  expedition,  having  with  him  a  cousin 
named  Locke,  and  several  other  gentlemen  volunteers, 
including  Robert  Hues,  the  learned  geographer.  His 
chief  supporters  were  his  friend  Sir  Tristram  Gorges, 
Sir  George  Cary,  who  provided  some  of  the  ordnance, 
and  Master  Cary  of  Cockington.  John  Davis  was 
captain  of  the  Desire,  120  tons,  with  John  Pery,  an 
experienced  sailor  and  a  loyal  man,  who  had  sailed  with 
Cavendish  in  his  former  voyage,  as  master.  Davis  was 
also  accompanied  by  his  constant  friend  John  Janes, 
his  old  shipmate  in  the  Arctic  regions,  who  joined  the 
perilous  undertaking  for  the  sake  of  his  former  com- 
mander, and  out  of  the  afTection  he  felt  for  him.  He 
proved  a  stay  and  support  during  a  very  trying  period. 
For  the  crew  was  most  unsatisfactory,  having  been 
appointed  by  Cavendish.  Nearly  all  wei-e  volunteers, 
artificers,  or  servants,  and  there  were  only  fourteen  able 
seamen.  The  whole  company  amounted  to  seventy-six 
souls.  The  ship  was  nlso  badly  furnished  with  rigging, 
sails,  and  cables.  The  Roebuck  was  commanded  by 
Captain  Cocke,  the  Damfy  by  Captain  Randolph  Cotton, 
a  friend  of  Davis  and  of  Adrian  Gilbeit,  and  the  Black 
Pinnace  by  Captain  Tobias. 

The  summer  of  1591  saw  Davis  in  the  society  of  his 
wife  at  Sandridge  for  the  last  time.     All  seemed  bright 


I593-]     VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.       117 

and  cheerful  in  that  lovely  home,  and  he  left  it  with 
high  hopes  of  achieving  a  great  discovery  and  of  a  happy 
return.  Yet  already  there  were  germs  of  calamity  both 
in  the  expedition  and  in  the  bosom  of  his  family.  When 
he  returned,  he  was  a  ruined  and  disappointed  man,  and 
he  found  his  home  desolate.  But  there  was  no  thought 
of  disaster  when,  on  a  bright  August  morning,  he  bade 
farewell  to  Sandridge  and  joined  his  sliip. 

The  second  expedition  commanded  by  Thomas  Caven- 
dish sailed  from  Plymouth  on  the  26th  of  August  1591. 
A  long  and  tedious  voyage  was  before  them.  On  the 
twentieth  day  the  Canary  Isles  were  sighted,  and  they 
were  becalmed  on  the  line  for  twenty-seven  days,  where 
the  intense  heat,  combined  with  unwholesome  food  and 
water,  caused  an  outbreak  of  scurvy.  At  length  a 
north-westerly  wind  sprung  up,  and  in  three  weeks 
more  the  coast  of  Brazil  was  sighted.  Davis  was  un- 
certain of  his  position,  but  a  small  vessel  was  captured 
under  the  land,  and  the  pilot  pointed  out  Cape  Frio, 
and  took  the  ships  into  a  place  called  Placencia,  about 
sixty  miles  from  the  town  of  Santos.  Here  a  welcome 
supply  of  fresh  vegetables  was  obtained,  which  seems  to 
have  had  the  effect  of  restoring  the  men  to  health  and 
vigour.  But  far  more  trying  times  were  in  store  for 
them.  It  was  resolved  to  attack  the  Portuguese  town 
of  Santos,  in  the  hope  of  filling  up  with  fresh  provisions. 
Tiie  service  was  carelessly  performed  by  Captain  Cocko 
of  the  Roelmck.  He  took  the  boats  up  the  river,  sur- 
prised the  settlers  while  they  were  heading  mass,  and 
captured  the  town.  But  he  afterwards  allowed  the 
people  to  pass  to  and  fro  as  they  pleased,  and  in  a  few 
days  the  place  was  left  witliout  inhabitants  or  provi- 
sions.    It  ended  by  the  expedition  only  getting  a  few 


118  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

baskets  of  cassava  meal,  and  by  its  having  to  leave  the 
coast  in  great  distress  for  want  of  fresh  food. 

Cavendish  had  few  of  the  requisites  for  an  efficient 
commander.  He  was  personally  brave,  but  without 
feeling  or  sympathy  for  his  men,  and  his  plans  were 
wanting  in  judgment  and  forethought.  He  never  gave 
directions  to  his  captains  with  regard  to  the  course  they 
were  to  steer  in  the  event  of  being  separated,  and  he 
appears  to  have  neglected  the  precautions  which  were 
usually  taken  by  an  officer  leading  a  squadron  of  ships. 
Leaving  Santos  on  the  22nd  of  January  1592,  the  fleet 
encountered  a  severe  gale  of  wind  on  the  7th  of  February, 
probably  a  "pampero,"  off  the  River  Plate,  and  on  the 
8th  the  ships  were  separated  by  the  fury  of  the  storm. 
Being  without  instructions,  Davis  consulted  Mr.  Pery, 
his  master,  as  to  the  best  course  to  take.  He  had 
frequently  applied  to  Cavendish  for  a  rendezvous  in  the 
event  of  parting  company,  but  without  being  able  to 
induce  that  commander  to  name  one.  During  his 
former  voyage  Cavendish  had  anchored  in  a  bay  on  the 
coast  of  Patagonia  which  he  named  Port  Desire,  and 
it  was  thought  probable  that  he  would  now  shape  a 
course  for  this  refuge.  Captain  Davis,  therefore, 
resolved  to  go  there  on  the  chance  of  finding  the 
Leicester,  and  on  his  way  he  fell  in  with  the  Eoebucic, 
seriously  shattered  and  disabled.  The  two  vessels 
reached  Port  Desire  on  the  6th  of  March,  and  the 
Black  Pinnace  joined  them  two  days  afterwards. 

But  the  crew  of  the  Dainty  had  shamefully  deserted. 
They  steered  homewards  soon  after  the  fleet  left  Santos, 
leaving  their  captain,  who  appears  to  have  been  dining 
on  board  the  Roebuck,  with  nothing  but  the  clothes  on 
his  back.     Captain  Randolph  Cotton  was  an  intimate 


»593-]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.       119 

friend  of  Davis,  and  he  was  a  guest  on  board  the  Desire 
during  the  rest  of  the  voyage.  There  is  some  reason  to 
beHeve  that  Cavendish  was  a  party  to  this  treachery. 
One  of  his  crew,  named  Knivet,  says  that  the  general 
told  the  men  of  the  Dainty  that  he  wanted  them  to  go 
into  the  River  Pkite,  but  that  afterwards  "  they  might 
return  home  with  all  his  heart."  Cavendish  knew  well 
that  this  desertion  would  be  the  death-blow  to  Davis's 
hopes  of  achieving  discovery.  It  was  indeed  a  great 
calamity,  for  the  Dainty  was  the  ship  in  which  the  great 
Arctic  Navigator  had  intended  to  continue  his  northern 
exploration. 

The  surmise  of  Davis  and  his  master  proved  to  be 
correct.  The  Leicester  arrived  at  Port  Desire  on  the 
1 8th,  having  lost  two  of  her  boats  during  the  gale,  and 
Cavendish  came  on  board  the  Desire  in  a  very  bad 
temper,  and  related  his  grievances  to  Davis.  He  com- 
plained bitterly  of  the  crew  of  the  Leicester.  He  de- 
clared that  he  was  "  matched  with  the  most  abject- 
minded  and  mutinous  company  that  ever  was  carried  out 
of  England  by  man  living,  who  never  ceased  to  practise 
and  mutiny  against  him."  His  accusations  appear  to 
have  been  unfounded,  for  when  Mr.  Janes  and  other 
officers  of  the  Desire,  who  regretted  to  hear  their  friends 
thus  spoken  of,  had  an  opportunity  of  conversing  with 
the  Leicester's  officers,  they  were  perfectly  loyal  in  their 
remarks,  and  resolute  in  proceeding  on  the  voyage. 
The  conduct  of  Cavendish  was  deplored  by  his  officei's 
and  men.  But  he  persisted  in  it,  and  took  the  extra- 
ordinary course  of  refusing  to  return  to  his  ship, 
declaring  that  he  intended  to  remain  on  board  the 
Desire  as  the  guest  of  Captain  Davis. 

So,  with  these  seeds  of  failure  on  board,  and  with  the 


120  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

prospect  of  foul  wcatliei'  ahead,  the  three  ships  and  the 
little  pinnace  sought  refuge  and  rest  in  this  wild  Pata- 
gonian  port.  It  was  dreary  enough.  In  the  middle  of 
the  bay  the  coast  consists  of  steep  white  cliffs  nearly 
two  miles  long,  the  upper  part  streaked  with  black 
lines  from  water  draining  down  it.  On  the  south  side 
the  Tower  Rock  breaks  the  monotonous  outline  of  the 
land.  It  is  a  mass  of  red  claystone  forty  feet  high, 
cleft  in  the  upper  part,  so  as  to  give  it  the  appearance 
of  the  forked  branch  of  an  immense  tree,  covered  with 
moss  and  lichens.  Undulating  plains  extend  inland, 
where  the  gravelly  soil  is  so  poor  as  only  to  produce  a 
few  tufts  of  grass,  with  here  and  there  a  straggling 
bush.  In  one  direction  an  inlet  runs  some  fifteen  miles 
up  the  country,  on  the  banks  of  which  a  few  plover  and 
■waterfowl  are  met  with,  but  fresh  water  is  only  found 
in  pools,  and  the  supply  is  precarious.  In  examining 
the  country  more  closely,  the  sailors  found  some  slight 
refreshment.  In  the  valleys,  between  the  rocks,  there 
were  wild  pease,  with  green  leaves  and  bluish  blossoms, 
and  herbs  like  sage,  with  very  sweet- smelling  leaves. 
The  herbs  and  leaves  of  the  pease  made  wholesome 
salads  against  scurvy,  and  abundance  of  very  good 
mussels  and  limpets  was  found  on  the  rocks.  Nine 
miles  S.S.E.  of  the  harbour  was  Penguin  Island,  which 
was  covered  with  seals  and  sea-lions. 

Having  obtained  such  refreshment  as  the  place 
afforded,  the  expedition  sailed  for  the  Straits  of  Magellan 
on  the  20th  of  March,  Cavendish  still  remaining  on 
board  the  Desire  with  Captain  Davis.  After  encoim- 
tering  very  severe  weather,  the  famous  Cape  of  Virgins 
•was  sighted  on  the  8th  of  April.  This  eastern  end  of 
the  Straits  is  bare  and  without  trees,  presenting  little 


1593]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.      121 

to  interest  the  voyager ;  but  as  he  makes  progress  to  the 
westward  the  scene  entirely  alters.  Cape  Virgins  is 
a  precipitous  line  of  cliffs  of  a  whitish  colour.  After 
passing  it,  the  ships  had  to  sail  across  what  Sir  John 
Narborough  afterwards  called  "a  little  sea,"  for  about 
sixty  unles  to  the  first  Narrow,  named  by  Sarmiento 
"La  Angostura  de  la  Esperanza."  On  the  i6th  the 
second  Narrow  was  passed,  called*' La  Angostura  de 
San  Simon,"  the  distance  between  the  two  being  ten 
leagues,  according  to  Davis.  Here  great  masses  of  sea- 
weed are  seen  drifting  with  the  tide,  which  are  rooted 
on  the  rocks,  and  rise  to  the  surface  even  at  consider- 
able depths,  yet  trailing  for  about  fifty  feet  on  the  water. 
This  weed  shows  the  set  of  the  tide  or  current,  and 
indicates  the  positions  of  all  the  rocks,  thus  acting  the 
part  of  a  buoy  or  lightship  in  those  wild  and  distant 
waters.  Passing  through  both  the  Narrows  with  a  fair 
wind,  Davis  entered  the  long  reach,  running  nearly  noi-th 
and  south  for  over  a  hundred  miles,  where  the  character 
of  the  scenery  entirely  changes.  Thickly  wooded  hills 
rise  from  the  shore  to  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet,  and 
at  Port  Famine,  near  the  southern  end  of  the  reach, 
there  are  many  fine  trees  along  the  banks  of  the  river, 
which  was  named  San  Juan  by  Sarmiento.  The  prin- 
cipal trees  are  the  Winter's  bark  and  an  evergreen  beech, 
the  latter  growing  to  a  great  size.  Byron  mentioned 
one  which  was  eight  feet  in  diameter.  These  trees  are 
thickly  covered  with  moss  and  dripping  with  moisture, 
and  there  is  dense  undergrowth  consisting  of  arbutus, 
berberis,  and  a  thorny  ribes.  On  the  south  side  of  the 
strait  there  are  lofty  mountains,  and  one  peak,  6800 
feet  high,  rises  above  the  rest,  its  snowy  mantle  con- 
trasting with  the  dark  threatening  clouds.     Sarmiento 


122  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

described  it  as  the  snowy  volcano,  and  FitzRoy  has 
very  appropriately  given  it  the  name  of  Mount  Sar- 
miento.  It  is  probably  the  "Campana  de  Roldan  "  of 
Magellan. 

After  a  short  stay  at  Port  Famine,  Davis  continued 
his  course  to  Cape  Froward,  the  southern  extreme  of  the 
American  continent,  in  5^°  53'  43"  S.  Just  before 
reaching  it  he  came  to  the  port  of  San  Antonio,  and 
was  able  to  gaze  upon  the  magnificent  scenery  which 
has  been  so  well  described  by  FitzRoy.  Here  the  vege- 
tation is  very  luxurious.  An  undergrowth  of  holly- 
leaved  berberis,  fuchsia,  and  veronica  is  sheltered  by  the 
spreading  foliage  of  evergreen  beech  and  Winter's  bark 
trees.  A  small  paraquet,  which  lives  on  the  seeds  of  the 
Winter's  bark,  is  often  seen,  and,  what  is  still  more 
wonderful,  a  humming-bird  flutters  among  the  fuchsias, 
even  when  snow  is  falling.  While  the  lower  hills  are 
clothed  with  trees  quite  down  to  the  water's  edge,  the 
sharp  peaks  and  ridges,  which  form  the  background,  are 
covered  with  eternal  snow. 

Soon  after  leaving  Port  San  Antonio,  the  forbidding 
mass  of  the  Morro  de  Santa  Agueda,  which  had  been 
re-named  by  Cavendish  in  his  former  voyage  Cape 
Froward,  loomed  ahead.  It  is  a  bold  promontory  of 
dark-coloured  slaty  rock,  with  the  outer  face  nearly 
perpendicular,  and  higher  land  at  the  back.  At  Cape 
Froward  the  course  of  the  fleet  was  rudely  checked. 
The  ships  doubled  it  on  the  i8th  of  April,  and  were 
immediately  encountered  by  a  wintry  gale  in  their  teeth, 
blowing  down  the  straits  from  the  north-west.  Fortu- 
nately Captain  Tobias,  in  the  pinnace,  discovered  a  safe 
anchorage  on  the  south  side,  twelve  miles  from  the  cape, 
where  the  ships  took  refuge.     It  was  named  Tobias  Bay, 


I593-]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.       123 

and  is  probably  the  Mazaredo  Bay  of  later  charts.  There 
were  continuous  gales  of  ■wind  and  snow  storms,  and 
Cavendish  remained  at  anchor  for  more  than  a  month. 
The  men  suffered  from  cold  and  exposure,  and  they  had 
to  live  on  mussels  and  limpets,  eked  out  by  a  small 
allowance  of  meal  from  the  ships'  store.  Anthony  Knivet, 
one  of  the  crew  of  the  Leicester,  gave  a  marvellous 
account  of  the  effects  of  the  cold,  which  must  be  received 
with  a  grain  of  salt.  He  says  that,  coming  on  board 
with  wet  feet  and  pulling  off  his  stockings,  the  toes 
came  with  them,  and  that  a  shipmate  named  Hai-ris  lost 
his  nose,  "  for  going  to  blow  it  with  his  fingers,  he  cast 
it  into  the  fire." 

Cavendish  consulted  Davis  respecting  the  possibility 
of  continuing  the  voyage  into  the  South  Sea  in  such 
weather.  The  experienced  Arctic  navigator  assured  him 
that  the  snow  would  not  continue,  and  urged  him  to 
persevere.  But  he  had  lost  heart,  and  seems  to  have 
cooled  in  his  friendship  for  Davis  when  he  found  that  a 
retreat  would  not  receive  his  concurrence ;  for  he  left 
the  Desire  and  returned  to  his  own  ship.  He  then  pro- 
posed to  go  back  into  the  Atlantic  and  attempt  a  voyage 
round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Protests  were  made 
against  this  plan,  and  Cavendish  was  obliged  to  abandon 
it.  He  finally  resolved  to  make  for  the  Brazilian  coast 
to  obtain  supplies,  and  then  to  return  to  the  Straits  of 
Magellan. 

On  the  15th  of  May  the  fleet  set  sail  from  Tobias 
Bay,  and  rounding  Cape  Fro  ward,  remained  for  two 
days  at  Port  Famine.  Here  Cavendish  was  again  guilty 
of  that  selfish  inhumanity  which,  in  his  former  voyage, 
had  led  him  to  abandon  the  unfortunate  Spaniards  to 
their  fate.     But  in  this  case  his  conduct  was  worse. 


124  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

IIo  actually  landed  all  the  sick  of  the  Leicester,  left  them 
exposed  to  damp,  cold,  and  starvation,  and  allowed  them 
to  perish  niisenibly. 

On  the  1 8th  the  ships  passed  Cape  Virgins,  and  were 
once  more  in  the  Atlantic,  clear  of  the  straits.  In  the 
evening  of  the  20th,  the  ship  of  Cavendish  was  close- 
hauled  with  the  wind  N.N.E.,  and  the  other  ships  shaped 
the  same  course ;  but  next  morning  the  Leicester  and 
Roebuck  were  out  of  sight.  Davis  naturally  supposed 
that  they  had  borne  up  for  Port  Desire  to  repair  some 
damage  or  to  get  i-efreshments.  Next  day  the  Desire 
fell  in  with  the  Black  Pmnace,  and  they  both  anchoitd. 
at  Port  Desire  on  the  26th. 

Cavendish  must  have  altered  his  course  during  the 
night  without  making  any  signal,  and  he  had  given  no 
lendezvous.  The  Leicester  proceeded  to  the  coast  of 
Brazil,  where  Cavendish  repeated  his  abominable  cruelty 
of  putting  all  his  sick  on  shore,  on  a  hot  beach  under  a 
blazing  sun,  where  he  left  them  to  perish.  He  then 
made  sail  for  England,  and  died  on  the  passage  home, 
lie  left  a  will,  with  a  covering  letter  to  Sir  Tristram 
Gorges,  in  which  he  falsely  accused  Davis  of  having 
intentionally  deserted  him.  Davis  acted  loyally  through- 
out, and  did  all  in  his  power  to  rejoin  his  chief.  He 
supposed  that  he  would  make  for  Port  Desire,  and 
afterwards  tliat  he  would  leturn  to  the  straits,  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  avowed  intention.  Burney,  in  his 
"History  of  Voyages  to  the  South  Sea,"  remarks  that, 
even  if  the  separation  had  been  intentional,  the  case 
would  have  been  very  different  from  any  other.  He 
says,  "  Instances  without  number  are  to  be  met  with  of 
ships  deserting  their  commandei'-in-chief  to  escape  the 
perils  of  a  long  and  dangerous   undertaking  j  but   the 


IS93-]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.      125 

case  of  Captain  Davis  is  of  a  different  character.  It  is 
one  of  the  few  in  which  the  separation,  if  contriv-ed,  was 
for  the  purpose  of  persevering  in  a  pursuit  after  it  had 
been  abandoned  by  the  chief  commander  as  hopeless 
and  impracticable." 

Davis  found  himself  at  Port  Desire  in  want  of  almost 
everything.  He  had  lost  boat  and  oars  in  the  straits, 
Lis  single  set  of  sails  was  nearly  worn  out,  and  his 
rigging  and  cables  were  chafed  and  old.  Having  moored 
his  ship,  he  landed  on  the  south  side  of  the  harbour, 
near  the  Tower  Rock,  and  discovered  a  standing  pool  of 
fresh  water.  At  low  tides  his  men  collected  mussels  in 
gi-eat  quantities,  and  there  was  an  abunda,nt  supjily  of 
fish,  which  were  caught  with  bent  pins  for  hooks.  Thus 
the  crew  lived  on  fresh  food,  and  the  ship's  provisions 
were  saved  during  the  stay  at  Port  Desire. 

After  consulting  with  the  master,  Captain  Davis  deter- 
mined to  send  the  pinnace  in  search  of  Cavendish  ;  but 
there  were  two  mutinous  scoundrels  on  board  the  Desire 
named  Charles  Parker  and  Edward  Smith,  who  persuaded 
the  crew  that  their  captain  intended  to  abandon  them, 
and  went  so  far  as  to  plot  the  murder  of  Davis  and  his 
friends.  The  conspiracy  was  betrayed  by  the  boatswain, 
and  the  villainy  of  the  two  mutineers  was  disclosed. 
Davis  always  reliei^l  on  conciliation  and  the  power  of 
reasonable  exhortation,  rather  than  on  the  violent 
measures  which  were  usually  adopted  to  quell  disaffec- 
tion. He  forgave  the  treachery  of  Parker  and  Smith, 
abandoned  his  intention  of  sending  away  the  pinnace, 
and  made  a  speech  to  the  men  in  which  he  fully  ex- 
plained the  situation.  But  ho  required  all  those  who 
had  been  insubordinate  or  discontented  to  put  their 
hands  to  a  document  setting  forth  the  reasons  of  their 


126  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

separation  from  Caveudish,  which  he  also  signed,  as 
well  as  Captain  Randolph  Cotton  and  Mr.  Pery,  the 
master.  The  document,  which  is  dated  June  2,  1592, 
has  forty  signatures,  including  those  of  the  mutineers 
Parker  and  Smith.  After  recapitulating  the  events 
of  the  voyage,  it  explains  the  cause  of  separation, 
declares  that  it  was  unintentional,  and  sets  forth  the 
straits  to  which  the  crew  of  the  Desire  is  reduced  from 
the  condition  of  spars  and  rigging  and  the  insufficiency 
of  stores  and  provisions. 

Having  calmed  the  excitement  and  satisfied  the  crew, 
at  least  for  the  time,  by  the  conciliatory  course  he 
adopted,  Davis  set  to  work  with  his  accustomed  energy 
and  skill  to  repair  defects.  He  set  up  a  smith's  forge 
on  shore,  prepared  charco.a],  and  made  bolts,  nails,  and 
spikes.  Fresh  rigging  was  laid  up  by  using  one  of  the 
cables,  and  the  fore-shrouds,  which  had  been  carried 
away  in  a  heavy  gale,  were  spliced.  While  part  of  the 
crew  were  at  work  on  these  repairs,  the  rest  were  em- 
ployed to  fish  and  collect  mussels  and  limpets  on  the 
rocks.  The  pinnace  went  to  and  fro  to  Penguin  Island, 
and  a  sharp  look-out  was  kept  for  the  Leicester.  Thus 
the  time  passed  until  August,  when  Davis  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  Cavendish  must  have  returned  direct 
to  the  straits  from  the  Brazilian  coast  without  touching 
at  Port  Desire.  He,  theiefore,  proposed  to  return  to 
the  straits,  in  the  hope  of  at  length  finding  the  missing 
vessels — a  coui-se  to  which  the  crow  readily  agreed. 

After  salting  down  twenty  hogsheads  of  seal-flesh  at 
Penguin  Island,  the  Desire  made  sail  on  the  6th  of 
August,  "the  poorest  wretches  that  ever  were  created," 
says  Mr.  Janes.  They  had  been  two  months  and  ten 
days  in  Port  Desire. 


»593-]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.      127 

.In  a  storm  which  was  encountei'ed  on  the  9th,  Davis 
was  obliged  to  lie-to,  for  his  sails  were  so  worn  that  he 
did  not  dare  to  expose  them  to  the  pi'obable  chance  of 
being  split  by  the  force  of  the  wind.  On  the  14th  he 
was  "  driven  in  among  certain  islands,  never  before  dis- 
covered by  any  known  relation,  lying  50°  or  better  from 
the  shore  east  and  northerly  of  the  straits."  Thus 
was  Davis  the  discoverer  of  the  group  which  has  since 
improperly  been  called  the  "Malouines"  and  the 
"Falkland  Islands,"  in  51°  to  53°  S.  latitude.  Burney 
attempted  to  do  justice  to  the  memory  of  Davis  by 
adopting  the  name  of  *'  Davis's  Southern  Islands,"  but 
he  was  not  successful.  Davis  saw  a  succession  of  barren 
hills  sloping  towards  low  and  broken  ground  and  rocky 
surf-beaten  shores,  with  quantities  of  drifting  kelp  on 
the  surface  of  the  sea,  and  great  numbers  of  birds.  Of 
this  group  Davis  was  undoubtedly  the  discoveier.  On 
two  Spanish  charts  dated  1527  and  1529,  there  are 
islands  shown  near  the  same  position,  and  called  "  Ascen- 
sion Islands,"  and  they  also  appear  on  the  map  of 
Plancius.  But  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  we 
have  the  narratives  of  all  the  explorers  who  had  been  so 
far  south  up  to  1592,  and  none  of  them  mention  any 
such  discovery.  The  insertion  of  these  "  Ascension 
Islands "  must,  therefore,  be  referred  to  the  error  or 
imagination  of  some  map-maker.  The  claim  set  up  for 
Amerigo  Vespucciu.s,  who  is  said  to  have  made  a  voyage 
into  the  South  Atlantic  in  1502,  is  equally  baseless,  for, 
by  his  own  account,  he  never  went  south  of  the  River 
Plate.  In  1594  Richai'd  Hawkins  sailed  r.long  the 
northern  shores  of  the  group,  and  being  ignorant  of 
the  discovery  of  Davis,  he  named  it  "  Hawkins's  Maiden 
Land,"   and  in    1600   the    north-western    ei:tremo  was 


1-28 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS. 


[1591. 


sighted  by  the  Dutch  navigator  Sebald  de  Weeit,  and 
named  the  "Sebaldiues."  In  1690  Strong  landed,  and 
gave  the  name  of  Falkland 
Channel  to  the  strait  between 
the  east  and  west  islands,  and 
this  name  got  transferred  from 
the  strait  to  the  islands  them- 
selves. Davis  was  thus  de- 
prived of  the  honour  which  was 
his  due,  of  having  his  name  at- 
tached to  his  discovery. 

The  wind  shifted  to  the  east 
when  the  Desire  was  off  the 
newly  discovered  islands,  and 
on  the  1 8th  she  sighted  Cape 
Virgins,  passing  through  the 
two  narrow^s  on  the  following 
day,  and  doubling  Cape  Fro- 
ward  on  the  2  ist.  The  voj'age 
through  the  straits  had  so  far 
been  prosperous.  Davis  an- 
chored in  a  port  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Long  Reach,  pro- 
bably the  Abra  of  Sarmiento, 
where  he  fell  in  with  a  num- 
ber of  the  wretched  natives  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  on  the 
24th  he  entered  the  "Sea 
Reach ' '  which  opens  on  the 
Pacific,  anchoring  within  four- 
teen lengiies  of  the  westei'n  entrance  of  the  straits. 
lie  was  app.s.r(intly  in  the  "  Puerto  de  Churruca  "  of  later 
chaits,  and  here  he  proposed  to  wait  for  Cavendish.     He 


1593]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.       129 

remained  for  a  fortnight,  but  the  sufferings  of  the 
men  from  the  intense  cold  and  want  of  food  were 
terrible.  They  were  insufficiently  clad,  and  the  seal- 
flesh  having  been  badly  cured,  became  uneatable.  The 
master,  who  had  become  acquainted  with  the  Chilian 
coast  in  the  first  voyage  of  Cavendish,  advised  that 
refuge  should  be  taken  at  the  island  of  Santa  Maria 
near  Concepcion,  where  the  climate  is  temperate,  and 
where  fresh  provisions  could  be  obtained.  He  repre- 
sented that  Santa  Maria  would  be  equally  well  placed  as 
a  station  for  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Cavendish,  as  ho 
would  be  sure  to  touch  there.  Davis  adopted  this 
advice,  and  entered  the  Pacific  on  the  13th  of  September, 
but  was  driven  back  by  a  westeily  gale  on  the  following 
day,  taking  rufuge  in  the  harbour  of  God's  Mercy,  the 
"  Misericordia "  of  Sarmiento,  which  is  a  few  miles 
inside  Cape  Pillar.  Another  attempt  was  made  a  day 
or  two  afterwards ;  but  again  tlie  Desire  was  driven  back 
by  a  furious  gale,  and  when  they  anchored  in  the  Bay 
of  Mercy  one  of  the  cables  parted.  As  soon  as  the  wind 
went  down,  Davis  moored  his  ship  to  the  trees,  unrove 
his  running  rigging,  and  tried  unsuccessfully  to  recover 
his  anchor.  He  now  only  had  one  anchor  with  a  broken 
fluke,  a  cable  spliced  in  two  places,  and  the  remains  of 
another  old  cable. 

On  the  ist  of  October  the  wind  came  fair.  The  ship 
was  expeditiously  rigged  and  got  under  weigh,  and  for 
the  third  time  a  course  was  shaped  for  the  South  Sea. 
But  a  mutinous  spirit  again  began  to  appear  among  the 
crew,  some  wanting  to  return  to  Port  Desire,  while 
others  sided  with  the  officers  in  their  wish  to  reach  the 
coast  of  Chile.  Davis,  therefore,  delivered  the  following 
speech  to  the  master,  to  be  repeated  to  the  crew : — 

I 


130  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

**  Master  !  you  see  the  wonderful  extremity  of  our 
estate,  and  the  great  doubts  among  our  company  of  your 
reports  as  touching  reliefe  to  be  had  in  the  South  Sea. 
Some  say  in  secret,  as  I  am  informed,  that  we  under- 
take these  desperate  attempts  through  blind  affection 
that  we  bear  to  the  General.  For  mine  own  part,  I 
plainly  make  known  unto  you  that  the  love  which  I 
bear  to  the  General  caused  me  first  to  enter  into  this 
action,  whereby  I  have  not  only  heaped  upon  my  head 
the  bitter  calamity  now  present,  but  also  have  in  some 
sort  procured  the  dislike  of  my  best  friends  in  England, 
as  is  not  unknown  to  some  in  this  company.  Now 
being  thus  entangled  by  the  providence  of  God,  for  my 
former  offences  (no  doubt),  I  desire  that  it  may  please 
his  Divine  Majestie  to  show  us  such  merciful  favour 
that  we  may  rather  proceed  than  otherwise,  or,  if  it  be 
His  will  that  our  mortal  being  shall  now  take  an  end,  I 
desire  that  it  may  rather  be  in  proceeding  than  in  re- 
turning. And  because  I  see  in  reason  that  the  limits  of 
our  time  are  now  drawing  to  an  end,  I  do  in  Christian 
charity  entreat  you,  first,  to  forgive  me  in  whatsoever  I 
have  been  grievous  unto  you  ;  secondly,  that  you  will 
rather  pray  for  our  General  than  use  hard  speeches  of 
him ;  and  let  us  be  fully  persuaded  that  not  for  his 
cause  and  negligence,  but  for  our  own  offences  against 
the  Divine  Majesty,  we  are  presently  punished.  Lastly, 
let  us  forgive  one  another,  and  be  reconciled  as  children 
in  love  and  charity,  and  not  think  upon  the  vanities 
of  life;  so  shall  we,  in  leaving  this  life,  live  with  our 
glorious  Ixedeenier,  or,  abiding  in  this  life,  find  favour 
with  God.  And  now,  good  master,  forasmuch  as  you 
Lave  been  in  this  voyage  once  before  with  your  master 
the  General,  satisfy  the  company  of  such  truths  as  are  to 


IS93-]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.      131 

you  best  known  ;  and  you  and  the  rest  of  the  General's 
men,  which  likewise  have  been  with  him  in  his  first 
voyage,  if  you  hear  anything  contrary  to  the  truth, 
spare  not  to  reprove  it,  I  pray  you.  And  so  I  beseech 
the  Lord  to  bestow  His  mercy  upon  us." 

The  master,  in  reply,  protested  that  the  separation 
from  Cavendish  had  been  a  source  of  anguish  and 
sorrow  to  him,  and  again  advised  that  a  course  should 
be  shaped  to  the  island  of  Santa  Maria  on  the  Chilian 
coast,  where  pork,  corn,  and  roots  could  be  obtained  in 
abundance.  He  declared  that  if  they  returned,  there 
was  nothing  but  death  to  be  hoped  for. 

On  hearing  these  speeches,  the  crew  unanimously 
agreed  to  continue  the  voyage,  and  by  the  2nd  of 
October  the  Desire  was  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  clear 
of  the  Straits.  But  that  night  the  wind  sprung  up 
from  the  W.N.W.,  and  soon  increased  to  a  gale.  The 
Desire  stood  on  under  courses,  while  the  fury  of  the 
storm  increased  and  tremendous  seas  broke  over  her. 
On  the  3rd  the  little  Black  Pinnace  came  under  her 
consort's  lee,  and  her  captain  hailed  that  she  bad  taken 
in  many  grievous  seas,  and  that  he  could  not  tell  what 
shift  to  make.  It  was  quite  impossible  to  give  her  any 
assistance,  and  next  day  she  suddenly  broached  to  and 
went  down  with  all  hands.  On  the  5th  the  foresail  of 
the  Desire  was  split,  and  the  fui-y  of  the  gale  continued 
with  hail  and  snow,  the  seas  breaking  over  her,  so  that 
it  was  doubtful  every  moment  whether  she  might  not 
share  the  fate  of  the  pinnace. 

On  the  loth  of  October  the  weather  was  dark  and 
stormy,  and  the  reckoning  made  the  ship  very  close  to 
Cape  Pillar — a  dead  lee-shore.  The  men  were  so  tired 
that  they  could  work  no  longer,  and  had  thrown  them- 


133  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

selves  down  in  despair.  All  hope  seemed  gone.  Captain 
Davis  had  yielded  to  despondency,  and  was  sitting  in 
the  stern-gallery  immersed  in  his  own  melancholy 
thoughts.  He  was  so  cold  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to 
move  a  joii.t.  At  this  juncture  his  old  and  tried  friend, 
Mr.  Janes,' brought  him  some  '^  Eosa  solis,"  or,  in  plain 
English,  a  good  stiff  glass  of  hot  grog.  After  he  had 
drunk  it,  the  weather-beaten  navigator  was  comforted, 
and  offered  up  a  prayer  that  their  days  might  either  be 
speedily  ended,  or  that  they  might  be  shown  some 
merciful  sign  of  the  divine  love.  Suddenly,  even  before 
Mr.  Janes  had  left  him,  the  sun  broke  out  from  amongst 
the  threatening  clouds,  so  that  both  Davis  and  the 
master  were  able  to  get  meridian  altitudes  and  shape  a 
course  for  the  straits.  This  so  revived  their  spirits  that 
they  made  cheery  speeches  to  the  men,  and  every  ono 
felt  that  the  danger  was  passed.  Next  day  they  sighted 
the  famous  headland  which  forms  the  southern  portal 
of  the  western  entrance  to  the  straits.  The  master  was 
very  doubtful  whether  the  ship  could  weather  Cape 
Pillar,  but  Davis  said,  "You  see  there  is  no  remedy; 
either  we  must  double  it,  or  before  noon  we  must  die ; 
therefore  loose  your  sails  and  let  us  put  it  to  God's  Mercy." 
So  sail  was  made,  and  the  Drsire,  close-hauled,  made 
for  the  terrible  cape,  with  seas  breaking  over  her 
furiously,  Hope  and  anxiety  gradually  gave  way  to 
despair  as  it  was  seen  that  she  continued  to  sag  to 
leeward  more  and  more,  and  it  seemed  as  if  she  could 
not  possibly  weather  the  cape.  The  ship  was  now 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  point,  and  so  near  the  land 
that  the  counter-surf  rebounded  against  the  ship's  side. 
They  seemed  to  be  at  the  very  point  of  death,  "  the 
wind  and  sea  raging  beyond  measure,"  and  the  relent- 


1593]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.       133 

less  cape  frowning  above  them.  At  this  critical  moment 
the  master  eased  off  the  main-sheet.  He  judged  that 
it  was  too  fiat  aft,  and  that  the  ship,  instead  of  going 
through  the  water,  was  rapidly  bagging  to  leeward. 
The  sheet  being  eased,  she  gathered  way  and  weathered 
the  danger.  They  had  escaped  literally  by  a  hair's- 
breath.  Then,  with  no  sail  set,  she  flew  before  the 
gale,  and  in  six  hours  was  twenty-five  leagues  within 


SCENE  IN  MAGELLAN  STRAITS— MOUNT  SARMIENTO. 

the  strait.  She  was  brought  into  a  cove  and  moored  to 
the  trees,  that  the  exhausted  men  might  get  a  little  rest. 
During  his  long  sojourns  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
Captain  Davis  had  surveyed  the  coast-lines  and  many 
of  the  harbours  with  great  care,  and  had  prepared  an 
elaborate  chart ;  so  that  he  was  enabled  to  pilot  his 
ships  through  the  numerous  dangers  with  a  sure  and 
well-instructed  eye,  "even  in  the  hell-darke  night." 
Mr.  Janes  was  struck  with  admiration  at  the  diligence 
of  Davis  and  his  master  in  this  respect.     "  I  conclude," 


134  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

he  wrote,  "  the  world  hath  not  any  so  skilful  pilots  for 
that  place  as  they  are,  for  otherwise  we  could  never 
have  passed  in  such  sort  as  we  did." 

Leaving  their  first  refuge,  they  went  through  the 
strait  as  far  as  the  island  near  the  western  entrance 
of  the  second  Narrow,  which  used  to  be  called  Penguin 
and  now  Elizabeth  Island.  Here  the  Desire  was 
anchored,  and  a  boat  was  sent  on  shore  to  collect 
birds.  Misfortune  continued  to  attend  on  this  ill-fated 
expedition.  A  sudden  squall  half-lilled  the  boat,  the 
birds  had  to  be  abandoned,  and  it  was  with  great  diffi- 
culty that  Captain  Randolph  Cotton  and  Mr.  Janes 
succeeded  in  getting  back  to  the  ship.  On  the  27th  of 
October  the  Desire  passed  Cape  Virgins,  and  on  the  30th 
she  reached  the  other  Penguin  Island,  nine  miles  south 
of  Port  Desire.  Here  they  had  better  luck.  The  boats 
were  sent  on  shore,  and  returned  laden  with  birds  and 
eggs ;  the  penguins  being  so  closely  packed  on  the  island 
that  the  men  could  not  move  without  treading  on  them. 

After  the  mutiny  at  Port  Desire,  Captain  Davis 
said  to  the  culprits  Parker  and  Smith  that  God  would 
judge  between  him  and  them.  The  time  had  now  come 
for  retribution.  They  were  ordered,  with  some  others, 
to  remain  on  Penguin  Island  and  collect  birds,  a  boat 
being  sent  for  them  as  soon  as  the  ship  had  anchored  in 
Port  Desire.  But  their  guilty  consciences  led  them  to 
suspect  that  they  were  going  to  be  abandoned,  and 
they  refused  to  obey  the  order.  Davis  then  made  the 
following  speech  to  them,  in  presence  of  the  rest  of  the 
crew  : — "  I  understand  that  you  are  doubtful  of  your 
security,  through  the  perverseness  of  your  own  guilty 
consciences.  It  is  an  extreme  grief  to  me  that  you  should 
judge  me  bloodthirsty,  in  whom  you  have  seen  nothing 


1593]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.      135 

but  kind  conversation.  If  you  have  found  otherwise, 
speak  boldly  and  accuse  me  of  the  wrong8  that  I  have 
done;  if  not,  why  do  you  then  measure  me  by  your  own 
uncharitable  consciences?  All  the  company  knoweth, 
indeed,  that  in  this  place  you  practised  to  the  utmost  of 
your  powers  to  murder  me  and  the  master  causeless,  as 
God  knoweth,  which  evil  in  this  place  we  did  remit 
you ;  and  now  may  conceive,  without  doing  you  wrong, 
that  you  again  purpose  some  evil  in  bringing  these 
matters  to  repetition.  But  God  hath  so  shortened  your 
confederacy  as  that  I  nothing  doubt  you.  It  is  for  your 
master's  sake  that  I  have  forborne  you  in  your  unchris- 
tian practices  ;  and  here  I  protest,  before  God,  that  for 
His  sake  alone  I  will  endure  this  injury,  and  you  shall 
in  no  sort  be  prejudiced,  nor  in  anything  be  by  me 
commanded.  When  we  come  into  England  (if  God  so 
favours  us)  your  master  shall  know  your  honesties.  In 
the  mean  space  be  void  of  these  suspicions ;  for  I  call 
God  to  witness  that  revenge  is  no  part  of  my  thought." 

The  Desire  was  moored  in  Port  Desire  on  the  last  day 
of  October,  and  on  the  3rd  of  November  the  boat  was 
sent  to  Penguin  Island  with  as  many  men  and  as  much 
wood  and  water  as  she  would  carry,  to  prepare  penguins  as 
provisions  for  the  voyage.  Parker  and  Smith  preferred 
to  go  by  land.  They  set  out  well  armed  with  eight  other 
men,  but  were  never  heard  of  again.  Thus  did  God  ap- 
pear to  judge  between  the  mutineers  and  their  captain. 

Captain  Davis,  the  master,  and  six  men  remained  by 
the  ship ;  and  the  opportunity  was  taken  of  exploring 
the  river  or  creek,  and  making  a  careful  survey  of  the 
anchorage.  A  large  body  of  Patagonians  came  upon 
them  suddenly,  and  set  fire  to  bushes  to  windward  of 
the  ship,  but  they  fled  as  soon  as  a  gun  was  fired,  and 


136  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAYIS.  [1591. 

did  not  appear  again.  The  health  of  the  men  was  pro- 
vided for  by  serving  out  fresh  food  in  the  shape  of 
penguins,  young  seals,  birds  of  several  kinds,  and  eggs. 
'J'he  leaves  of  the  herb  resembling  sage,  which  they 
called  scurvy-grass,  was  fried  with  the  eggs,  and  its 
effect  appears  to  have  been  excellent  in  curing  scurvy. 
The  great  difficulty  was  to  secure  a  sufficient  supply  of 
salt  to  cure  the  birds.  Captain  Davis,  with  the  help  of 
the  master  and  INIr.  Janes,  manufactured  it  by  collecting 
salt  water  in  shallow  holes  on  the  rocks  above  the  reach 
of  the  tide.  In  six  days  it  had  evaporated,  leaving  salt 
in  powder.  Thus  they  were  enabled  to  dry  and  salt 
14,000  penguins. 

On  the  22nd  of  December  the  Desire  weighed  and  com- 
menced her  voyage  home  to  England.  Captain  Davis  cal- 
culated the  quantity  of  provisions,  and  drew  up  a  scale 
by  which  they  would  be  made  to  last  for  six  months. 
It  consisted  of  five  ounces  of  meal  a  week,  five  pen- 
guins for  four  men,  and  six  quarts  of  water  daily,  and 
three  spoonfuls  of  oil  for  each  man  three  days  in  the 
week.  In  this  miserable  condition  the  voyage  home 
commenced.  Davis  was  sorely  in  need  of  patience  and 
high  courage,  for  all  his  hopes  were  shattered  and  de- 
stroyed. He  had  lost  at  least  _;^i  100  in  the  venture,  and 
returned  a  ruined  and  disappointed  man. 

On  the  30th  of  January  1593  the  ship  arrived  at  the 
island  of  Placencia,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil.  Landing  with 
a  boat's  crew,  Davis  found  the  settlement  abandoned, 
but  he  got  a  supply  of  fruits  and  roots  in  the  deserted 
gardens,  and  was  able  to  pilot  his  ship  into  a  sheltered 
creek,  where  there  was  fresh  water  near  the  beach. 
They  worked  very  hard  in  making  hoops  for  casks,  col- 
lecting roots  and  vegetables,  and  getting  water  on  board. 


1593]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.      137 

On  tlie  night  of  Monday  the  5th  of  February,  not 
only  the  captain,  but  several  men  had  dreams  which 
foreboded  murder  or  worse  calamities.  The  dream 
made  so  strong  an  impression  on  Davis  that  he  gave 
strict  orders  for  all  the  men  to  take  their  weapons  with 
them  when  they  landed  next  morning.  Towards  noon 
it  became  very  hot,  and  the  working  party  rested  in 
their  shirts,  some  bathing,  and  others  lying  in  the 
shade.  Suddenly  a  body  of  Portuguese  and  Indians 
surprised  them,  and  killed  all  but  two,  who  brought  the 
news  of  this  wretched  massacre  to  the  ship.  Davis 
manned  and  armed  his  boat  with  all  speed,  but  only 
found  the  dead  bodies  of  his  poor  men,  and  saw  two 
pinnaces  pulling  away  towards  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Out  of 
seventy-six  souls  who  left  England  in  the  Desire,  only 
twenty-seven  now  survived.  The  casks  were  still  in  a 
deplorable  condition,  and  only  eight  tons  of  water  could 
be  taken  on  board.  Yet  there  was  danger  of  being 
attacked  by  an  overwhelming  force  from  Rio ;  and  on 
the  whole,  Davis  decided  that  it  would  be  better  "  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord,  rather  than  into  the 
hands  of  men."  On  the  6th  of  February  the  Desire  once 
more  put  to  sea,  and  off  Cape  Frio  a  plentiful  fall  of  rain 
enabled  the  long-suffering  crew  to  refill  their  water-casks. 

Now  commenced  a  tale  of  horror  such  as  is  not  sur- 
passed in  the  annals  of  the  sea.  The  penguins  turned 
out  to  have  been  insufficiently  cured.  A  loathsome  and 
hideous  worm  began  to  form  in  the  corrupting  flesh,  and 
multiplied  prodigiously.  Then,  after  they  had  crossed 
the  line,  the  scurvy  broke  out  in  a  most  malignant 
form.  The  burning  sun  poured  its  rays  on  the  miser- 
able men  like  a  helmet  of  burnished  steel.  Their  bodies 
began  to  swell,  and  they  could  scarcely  breathe.     Davis 


138  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1591. 

exerted  himself  to  the  utmost.  Tliough  scarcely  able  to 
speak  for  sorrow,  he  exhorted  the  poor  stricken  creatures 
to  have  patience,  and,  like  dutiful  children,  to  accept  the 
chastisements  of  God.  Some  went  raving  mad  and  died 
in  frightful  pain.  The  master  fought  it  out  bravely, 
and  was  just  able  to  crawl  about.  Captain  Cotton  and 
Mr.  Janes  were  in  like  case.  Davis  and  a  boy  alone 
remained  in  perfect  health.  These  five  had  to  work  the 
ship,  for  the  eleven  survivors  of  the  crew  were  unable  to 
move.  The  captain  and  master  took  turns  at  the  helm, 
and  managed  to  trim  the  spritsail  with  the  help  of  the 
other  three.  The  rest  of  the  sails  were  all  blown  away, 
*'  Thus,  as  lost  wanderers  upon  the  sea,  it  pleased  God 
that  we  arrived  at  Bere-haven  in  Ireland  on  the  nth 
of  June  1593,  and  there  ran  the  ship  on  shore."  Thenco 
Davis  proceeded  in  a  fishing- boat  to  Padstow  in  Cornwall. 
John  Davis  returned  to  his  home  at  Sandridge  need- 
ing welcome  and  consolation  as  much  as  any  man  ever 
did  in  this  world.  He  found  it  desolate.  A  scoundrel 
named  Milburne  had  seduced  his  wife  in  his  absence, 
and,  not  content  with  that,  had  devised  accusations 
against  the  man  he  had  injured  in  the  hope  of  securing 
his  imprisonment,  and  so  preventing  him  from  prosecut- 
ing any  plan  of  vengeance  against  the  destroyer  of  his 
peace.  This  was  what  Davis  had  to  face  after  he  landed 
on  his  native  shore.  For  several  months  he  appears  to 
have  been  dazed  with  the  weight  of  his  misfortunes. 
His  friend  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  in  March  1594,  wrote 
from  Sherborne  to  warn  him  that  a  warrant  was  out 
against  him,  and  to  advise  him  to  come  up  to  London  ; 
but  he  was  intercepted  by  a  pursuivant  and  brought 
up  in  custody.  The  nature  of  the  accusation  does  not 
appear.     It  was   investigated    by  the   best  gentlemen 


1593]    VOYAGE  TO  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN.      139 

in  Devon,  and  proved  to  be  false.  Moreover,  the 
diligence,  fidelity,  and  intelligence  of  Davis  in  the 
Queen's  service  were  shown  to  be  very  gieat.  He  was 
set  at  liberty,  sui'eties  being  taken  for  his  appearance, 
Avithin  twenty  days  after  warning  given,  at  Mr.  Black- 
aller's  house  in  Dartmouth ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that 
he  was  ever  molested  again  by  the  emissaries  of  the  law, 
Milburne  was  a  dissolute  person,  with  nothing  to  lose, 
and  Raleigh  heard  that  he  had  coined  money  and  was 
likely  to  be  hanged  at  the  assizes.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  this  was  the  villain's  end. 

The  disastrous  voyage  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan 
brought  out  some  of  the  best  traits  in  the  character  of 
the  great  Arctic  navigator.  He  showed  himself  to  be 
as  resolute  and  persevering  as  in  the  Northern  voyages. 
He  was  loyal  to  his  chief  under  very  trying  circum- 
stances. He  missed  no  opportunity  of  surveying  and 
collecting  information  that  would  be  useful  to  future 
navigators.  He  was  kind  and  considerate  to  his  men, 
and  took  constant  thought  for  their  welfare ;  and  if  he 
was  too  conciliatory  to  mutineers,  and  strove  to  restore 
suboi-dination  by  gentle  rather  than  by  strong  measures, 
the  fault  was  on  the  right  side.  He,  finally,  met  crushing 
misfortune  with  the  calm  fortitude  of  a  hero.  The  faults 
as  well  as  the  fine  points  of  the  character  of  Davis  were 
brought  out  in  this  terrible  voyage,  and  tried  as  by  fire. 

The  narrative  of  the  voyage  of  Davis  to  Magellan's 
Straits  was  written  by  his  friend  Mr.  John  Janes,  and 
was  published  in  Hakluyt's  collection.  Purchas  gives 
a  letter  from  Cavendish  to  Sir  Tristram  Gorges  written 
shortly  before  his  death,  and  the  marvellous  narrative  of 
Anthony  Knivet,  one  of  the  sick  men  who  were  so  heart- 
lessly abandoned  by  Cavendish  on  the  coast  of  Brazil, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION. 

The  failure  of  the  expedition  on  which  all  the  hopes  of 
Davis  had  been  set,  and  the  heavy  losses  entailed  on 
him,  destroyed  every  chance  of  soon  being  able  to  renew 
an  enterprise  with  similar  objects.  The  money  he  had 
accumulated  as  the  result  of  many  years  of  work  at  sea 
was  all  lost.  Yet  he  retained  his  patrimony  at  Sandridge, 
and  thither  he  retired,  with  the  intention  of  communi- 
cating to  his  countrymen  the  professional  knowledge  he 
had  acquired,  in  the  form  which  seemed  most  likely  to 
be  useful  to  them.  His  wife  would  never  more  welcome 
his  return.  She  had  deserted  her  husband  and  children, 
and  appears  to  have  died  soon  afterwards.  But  in  the 
home  of  his  own  childhood  he  was  surrounded  by  his 
three  little  boys.  His  energy  was  not  weakened,  his 
enthusiasm  was  not  damped,  by  his  sorrows  and  misfor- 
tunes; and,  though  living  in  strict  retirement  during 
the  next  two  years,  he  was  neither  idle  nor  despondent. 
Busily  engaged  on  hydrographical  work  of  various  kinds, 
and  watching  with  deep  interest  the  progress  of  mari- 
time enterprise,  his  two  published  works  were  composed 
at  Sandridge  during  the  two  years  which  followed  his 
return  from  Magellan's  Straits. 

The   rise  of  England's   maritime   power  during  the 


1480-1594-]  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.  141 

reign  of  the  great  Queen  naturally  led  to  the  cultivation 
of  those  mathematical  and  astronomical  studies  which 
are  a  necessary  part  of  a  sailor's  profession.  Although 
John  Davis  Avas  not  a  profound  classical  scholar,  he  was 
acquainted  with  the  works  of  the  ancients  as  well  as 
with  the  more  recent  discoveries  of  mediaeval  and 
Spanish  labourers  in  the  same  field.  For  the  erudition 
of  such  men  as  Hues  and  Wright  was  open  to  their 
sail  or- friends,  and  the  practical  navigator  was  able  to 
appreciate  the  position  of  nautical  science  in  his  own 
day  by  comparing  it  with  the  ideas  and  practices  of  his 
predecessors.  If  we  would  undei'stand  the  place  which 
the  "  Seaman's  Secrets  "  of  Davis  takes  in  the  history  of 
navigation,  we  must  pass  in  review,  with  the  same  object 
as  he  would  have  had  in  examining  former  labours,  the 
progressive  work  of  those  who  had  brought  nautical 
astronomy  to  the  point  it  had  reached  in  the  days  of 
Elizabeth ;  for  the  contemporaries  of  Davis  still  treated 
the  work  of  the  ancients  with  respect  and  discussed 
their  methods,  and  the  English  had  but  recently  begun 
to  assume  independence  of  foreign  help,  and  to  publish 
original  treatises  on  navigation. 

All  students  of  the  sixteenth  century,  while  welcom- 
ing the  advances  and  improvements  of  later  times, 
looked  upon  the  philosophers  whose  labours  and  disco- 
veries are  recorded  in  the  "Almagest"  and  "Geography" 
of  Ptolemy  as  the  founders  of  nautical  science.  The 
lectures  of  Hood  and  the  popular  treatise  of  Hues 
instructed  the  Elizabethan  seamen  in  the  former 
history  of  their  science,  and  the  interest  of  young 
navigators  was  aroused  by  the  stories  of  the  earliest 
scientific  discoveries,  and  by  a  review  of  subsequent 
progress.     Aristaichus,   Eratosthenes,  and   Hipparchua 


142  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [14S0. 

were  names  more  familiar  to  the  young  seamen  of  the 
Elizabethan  era  than  they  are  to  us.  Davis  and  his 
fellows  knew  how  the  famous  librarian  of  Alexandria 
had  calculated  the  obliquity  of  the  ecliptic  by  means  of 
the  armilloi,  or  great  copper  circles  which  were  fixed  in 
the  square  porch  of  the  Alexandrian  Museum.  They 
were  familiar  with  his  method  of  determining  the 
circumference  of  the  earth ;  and  his  learning  and 
ingenuity  must  have  satisfied  their  reason,  while  it 
excited  their  imaginations.  Eratosthenes  had  heard 
that  deep  wells  at  Syene  were  enlightened  to  the 
bottom  on  the  day  of  the  summer  solstice,  and  he 
therefore  knew  that  Syene  must  be  on  the  tropic.  He 
had  ascertained  the  latitude  of  Alexandria  by  observa- 
tion, and  he  assumed  that  the  two  places  were  on  the  same 
meridian.  The  arc  thus  measured  enabled  this  original 
thinker  to  calculate  the  proportion  it  bore  to  the  whole 
circumference  of  the  earth,  and  his  result  was  a  fair 
approximation  to  the  truth.  This  story  of  the  methods 
by  which  the  great  Alexandrian  made  his  discovery  was 
a  useful  and  suggestive  lesson.  The  work  of  Hipparchus, 
though  more  complete  and  extensive,  did  not  appeal  so 
directly  to  the  imagination.  But  the  catalogue  of  stars 
and  constellations,  the  system  of  mapping  by  degrees  of 
latitude  and  longitude,  the  theory  of  the  precession  of 
the  equinoxes,  were  all  due  to  the  genius  of  Hipparchus, 
though  the  thanks  of  posterity  for  their  preservation 
belongs  to  Ptolemy.  Hence  the  system  of  Ptolemy  was 
the  text-book  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  the  study  of  his 
great  work,  translated  into  Arabic  under  the  name  of 
the  "  Almagest,"  was  the  foundation  of  astronomical 
knowledge  down  almost  to  the  time  of  Davis.  It  was 
to  learned  Arabs,   well  versed  in  the  "  Almagest "  of 


1 594-]     PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.        143 

Ptolemy,  that  King  Alfonso  the  Wise  committed  the 
task  of  constructing  the  tables  which  bear  his  name; 
and  the  principal  work  of  Purbach  and  Regiomontanus, 
the  two  most  learned  German  astronomers  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  was  their  translation  of  Ptolemy. 
But  Regiomontanus  was  not  merely  a  translator.  He 
constructed  valuable  instruments,  and  was  the  first  to 
publish  an  almanac  with  tables  of  the  sun's  declination 
calculated  for  the  years  from  1475  ^'^  1566. 

The  adaptation  of  instruments  and  calculations  in  use 
at  the  observatories  of  astronomers  on  shore,  to  the 
requirements  of  seamen,  was  the  most  important  work 
to  be  accomplished  in  those  days,  and  the  development 
of  maritime  enterprise  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
centuries  made  it  a  matter  of  urgency  to  utilise  the 
discoveries  of  students.  Progress  was  first  made  in 
this  direction  by  Martin  Behaim  of  Nuremburg,  a 
pupil  of  Regiomontanus,  He  first  combined  the 
theoretical  knowledge  of  a  student  with  the  practice 
of  a  navigator.  He  had  burnt  the  midnight  oil  while 
poring  over  the  pages  of  the  "Almagest,"  and  he  had 
accompanied  Diogo  Cam  when  that  explorer  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Congo  in  1484.^  This  combination  of 
theoretical  and  practical  knowledge  was  calculated  to 
effect  changes  which  its  absence  had  long  delayed.  The 
astrolabe,  which  had  been  known  for  centuries  as  an 
astronomical  instrument,  was  first  applied  by  Martin 
Behaim  for  purposes  of  navigation.^  A  graduated  ring 
of  metal,  held  so  as  to  hang  as  a  plummet,  with  a 
movable  limb  across  it  fitted  with  two  perforated  sights, 
enabled   a    sailor   to   observe    the   angle    between    the 

*  We  learn  this  from  an  inscription  •on  the  globe  of  Behaim. 
^  This  is  stutv^J  by  Barrus  (Dtc.  I.  Lib.  iv.,  cap.  2). 


144  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [148a 

horizon  and  the  sun  at  noon.  The  sun's  declination  on 
each  day  was  given  in  the  almanac  of  Regiomontanus, 
and  with  these  elements  the  latitude  was  found  by  a 
Very  simple  calculation.  But  it  is  probable  that  if 
Behaim  had  not  himself  made  long  voyages,  his 
theoretical  knowledge  would  never  have  led  him  to 
adapt  the  astrolabe  for  use  at  sea.  Behaim  also  con- 
structed a  globe  which  is  still  preserved  at  Nurem- 
burg,  and  which  is  the  oldest  now  in  existence.^  It  was 
not  long  before  another  instrument  of  simpler  con- 
struction, and  better  adapted  for  use  at  sea,  was  invented 
to  observe  the  sun's  altitude.     This  was  the  cross-staff, 

^  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  add  the  following  note  on  the  globe  of 
Martin  Behaim,  which  has  been  kindly  furnished  me  by  the 
distinguished  geographer,  Baron  Nurdonskiold.  "The  globe  of 
Behaim  is,  without  cnniparison,  the  most  important  geographical 
document  that  appeared  between  A.D.  150,  the  date  of  the  com- 
position of  Ptolemy's  Atlas,  and  A.D.  1507,  when  Ruysch's  Map  of 
the  World  was  publiished.  This  globe  is  not  only  the  oldest  known 
to  exist,  but,  from  its  size  and  its  wealth  of  geographical  detail,  it 
far  surpassed  all  analogous  monuments  de  giographie,  until  the 
appearance  of  the  globe  of  Mercator.  It  is  the  first  geographical 
document  which,  without  any  reserve,  adopts  the  existence  of 
antipodes.  It  is  the  first  which  plainly  shows  the  possibility  of 
a  passage  by  sea  to  India  and  Cathay.  It  is  the  first  on  which 
the  discoveries  of  Marco  Polo  are  clearly  indicated.  It  is  true  that 
the  Behaim''  globe  may  be  said  to  have  been  preceded,  in  some 
respects,  by  some  other  earlier  maps  of  the  fifteenth  century,  for 
instance  the  map  in  a  codex  of  Pomponius  Mela  of  1427  in  the 
library  of  Rheims,  and  that  of  Fra  Mauro.  But  if  these  are 
impartially  studied,  it  will  be  found  that  they  are  based  on  the 
idea  of  Homer,  that  the  earth  is  a  large  circular  island  encompassed 
by  the  ocean,  a  conception  totally  incompatible  with  the  new 
geographical  discoveries  of  the  Spaniards.  These  and  analogous 
maps  are,  therefore,  not  in  the  slightest  degree  comparable  with 
the  globe  of  Behaim  ;  which  may  be  said  to  be  an  exact  repre- 
sentation of  the  geographical  knowledge  of  the  period  immediately 
preceding  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus." 


IS94-]     PKOGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.        145 

which  was  first  described  in  15 14  by  Werner  of  Nurem- 
burg  in  his  notes  on  Ptolemy's  "  Geography." 

Longitude  continued  to  be  a  difficulty,  although 
Werner  had  proposed  the  method  of  observing  the 
distance  of  the  moon  from  the  sun  with  simultaneous 
altitudes,  afterwards  known  as  a  "  lunar ;  "  and  Gemma 
Frisius,  the  learned  professor  at  Louvain,  had  an  idea, 
which  he  published  in  1530,  that  longitude  might  be 
found  by  comparison  of  times  kept  by  small  clocks. 

The  first   use  of  the  mariner's   compass  at   sea  by 


CEOSS-STAFP. 


European  seamen  is  doubtfully  attributed  to  Flavio 
Gioja  of  Amalfi,  who  lived  about  the  beginning  of  the 
fourteenth  century ;  and  it  was  certainly  in  general  use 
when  Prince  Henry  of  Portugal  dispatched  his  expedi- 
tions of  discovery  a  century  later.  The  variation  of  the 
needle  was  first  observed  by  Columbus  on  the  14th  of 
September  1492  ;  it  attracted  the  close  and  constant  ob- 
servation of  Sebastian  Cabot ;  but  later  Spanish  writers 
believed  it  to  be  due  to  inaccurate  observation,  and  as  late 
as  157 1  such  a  navigator  as  Sarmieuto  doubted  its  exist* 

K 


146  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1480. 

ence.  It  was  not  until  the  English  seriously  took  up 
the  study  of  navigation  that  advances  were  made  in  the 
science  of  terrestrial  magnetism,  or  that  any  but  the 
roughest  guesses  were  used  for  estimating  a  ship's  run. 

The  use  of  the  plane  chart  was  a  source  of  enormous 
error  and  proportional  danger  to  the  early  mariners. 
By  it  the  degrees  of  latitude  and  longitude  were  made 
of  equal  length  on  a  plane  surface,  so  that  the  error 
increased  with  the  distance  from  the  equator.  Careful 
navigators,  like  Davis,  preferred  the  use  of  globes,  which 
for  a  long  time  formed  part  of  the  furniture  of  a 
navigator.  The  discovery  of  a  projection  which  obviated 
the  disadvantages  of  the  plane  chart  was  an  era  in  the 
progress  of  navigation.  As  it  also  supplies  another 
remarkable  example  of  the  importance  of  combining 
practical  experience  with  theoretical  knowledge,  it  is 
deserving  of  more  than  passing  notice,  while  the  story 
of  its  discoverer  is  as  instructive  as  it  is  interesting. 

At  a  distance  of  eight  miles  above  the  city  of  Ant- 
werp, at  the  point  where  the  little  Rupel  forms  a  junc- 
tion with  the  Scheldt,  there  stands  a  small  town  called 
Rupelmonde.  On  a  wintry  evening  of  the  year  1512  a 
poor  shoemaker,  with  his  wife  and  six  children,  who  had 
travelled  all  the  way  from  Germany  on  foot,  entered  this 
Flemish  town.  The  man,  whose  name  was  Hubert  Cremer, 
was  in  sore  need;  but  his  uncle  was  a  clergyman  in  Rupel- 
monde, and  he  looked  to  him  for  help.  The  old  canon, 
Gisbert  Cremer,  received  this  forlorn  party  with  kind- 
ness and  hospitality,  and  on  the  5th  of  March  15  12,  a 
few  days  after  their  arrival,  the  wife  gave  birth  to  a 
boy,  who  received  the  name  of  Gerard,  and  was  brought 
up  by  his  great-uncle.  It  was  the  custom  in  tho.se  day.s, 
especially  in  Holland  and  Flanders,  for  clergymen  and 


I594-]     PROGEESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.        147 

other  learned  persons  to  adopt  a  Latin  form  of  their 
name.  "  Cremer  "  and  "Mercator"  mean  a  trader  or 
merchant  in  Flemish  and  Latin  respectively,  so  the 
canon  had  taken  the  name  of  Mercator,  his  adopted 
rephew  also  being  known  as  Gerard  Mercator. 

The  uncle,  Gisbert,  was  a  poor  man,  but  he  contrived 
to  send  young  Gerard  to  the  great  University  of  Lou- 
vain,  where  he  was  enrolled  among  what  were  called 
**  the  indigent  students."  Gerard  had  a  genius  for 
mathematics,  and  after  he  had  taken  his  degree  he 
earned  his  livelihood  by  drawing  and  engraving  maps, 
at  the  same  time  receiving  lessons  in  nautical  astronomy 
from  the  learned  Gemma  Frisius.  Mercator  published 
his  first  map  in  1537,  and  his  great  terrestrial  globe, 
two  feet  in  diameter,  appeared  in  1541.  Owing  to  the 
persecutions  of  the  Inquisition,  he  removed  to  the  small 
town  of  Duisburg  on  the  Rhine,  in  the  dominions  of  the 
Duke  of  Cleves,  in  1552,  and  he  made  that  place  his 
home  for  the  remaining  forty-two  years  of  his  long  life. 

It  was  in  the  year  1569  that  Mercator  completed  and 
published  his  famous  chart  of  the  world  on  his  new  pro- 
jection. There  is  only  one  copy  in  existence,  in  the 
National  Libraiy  at  Paris — a  sheet  6  feet  6  inches  long 
and  4  feet  4  inches  broad.  It  is  beautifully  engraved,  and 
dedicated  to  Mercator's  friend  and  patron,  the  Duke  of 
Cleves.  In  the  centre  there  is  a  long  Latin  inscription, 
which  is  the  only  indication  given  by  Mercator  of  the 
principle  on  which  he  constructed  his  chart.  He  there 
tells  us  that  he  had  been  led  to  give  the  degrees  of  lati- 
tude towards  the  two  poles  a  slight  increase  beyond  the 
proportion  they  present  at  the  equator.  The  meridians 
are,  as  on  the  old  plane  charts,  parallel  to  each  other. 
The  advantage  of  the  new  projection,  as  stated  by  Mer- 


148  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1480. 

cator,  is  that,  although  distances  are  distorted,  the  posi- 
tions of  places  relatively  to  each  other  are  correct.  But 
he  nowhere  describes  in  detail  the  principle  on  which  the 
chart  is  constructed.  It  is,  indeed,  doubtful  whether  he 
had  worked  it  out  himself,  for  the  chart  is  incorrectly 
drawn,  only  being  approximately  accurate  up  to  40°.^ 
Mercator  deserves  the  great  praise  of  having  conceived 
the  idea  of  a  most  useful  projection,  but  it  was  not 
enough  to  do  this  without  enabling  others  to  construct 
it  by  a  fixed  rule.  This  is  a  striking  example  of  the 
necessity  for  combining  practical  knowledge  with  theory 
— a  combination  which  was  wanting  in  the  case  of 
Mercator  and  his  chart.  The  diagram  opposite  shows 
the  idea  which  had  occurred  to  the  illustrious  carto- 
grapher. 

Supposing  the  triangle  A,  B,  C,  to  represent  a  section 
of  the  surface  of  the  earth,  C  being  the  pole,  and  A,  B, 
an  arc  of  the  equator,  A,  C,  and  B,  C,  two  meridians, 

^  The  meridional  distance  of  10°  at  the  equator  being  —  k,  the 
distances  of  the  parallels,  according  to  Mercator,  were — 

I 


O     -  10     =  K- 


cosine  5 

10°  -  20°  =  K  1 

cosine  15 

20°  -  30°  =  /c 

cosine  25 

This  distance  from   the  equator  to  80°  of    latitude  would  there- 
fore be — 

I 


-  +  •  ^      ■ 

cos  45       cos  55       cos  o  5      cos  75 

The    correct  formula    is   Mer.  Parts  for  T  = log.  tan. 

TT 

(45°  +  ^). 


1594]     PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.        149 


0 


\ 


\ 


the  distance  between  the  meridians  a  degree  of  longi- 
tude, and  the  distance  between  the  parallels  A,  B,  and 
D,  E,  a  degree  of  latitude.  Then  let  A  be  the  point 
of  departure  of  a  ship,  and  E  its  port  of  destination. 
The  line  A,  E,  is  the  line  which  the  ship  will  take,  or 
its  course.  If  the  meridians  are  made  parallel,  they 
will  be  represented  by  the  lines 
A,  F,  and  B,  G.  The  conse- 
quence is  that  the  position  of 
the  port  of  destination  is 
changed  from  E  to  I.  This 
was  the  distortion  caused  by 
the  old  plane  chart.  The  dia- 
gram shows  that  the  line  E,  I, 
not  only  increased  the  dis- 
tance, but  altei'ed  the  course. 
Mercator's  object  was  to  cure 
the  distortion  in  direction,  that 
is,  to  keep  the  course  correct, 
even  if  he  increased  the  dis- 
tortion in  distance.  He  effec- 
ted this  by  pushing  the  port 
of  destination  farther  north  to 
H.  In  other  words,  he  length- 
ened the  degrees  of  latitude 
as  they  receded  from  the 
equator  towards   the  pole  in 

the  same  proportion  in  which  the  degrees  of  longi- 
tude are  lengthened  in  consequence  of  the  meridians 
being  made  parallel.  The  courses  would  always  be  cor- 
rect, although  the  distances  would  be  distorted. 

But  Mercator  supplied  no  practical  method  of  work- 
ing out  his  principle.     lie  died  before-  any  use  had  been 


ilEKCATOIl  S  I'KOJECTION. 


ir,0  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1480. 

made  of  it;  and  it  was  reserved  for  an  Englishman,  who 
combined  practice  with  theory,  to  utilise  his  idea  by 
supplying  rules  for  constructing  charts  on  his  principle. 
Mercator  breathed  his  last  at  Duisburg  in  the  year  that 
Davis  wrote  his  "  Seaman's  Secrets."  Tables  of  meri- 
dional parts,  which  supply  the  omission  of  Mercator,  had 
already  been  prepared  in  England. 

Germans  and  Flemings  had  thus  made  great  advances 
in  theory,  but  the  nations  which  took  part  in  the  mari- 
time discoveries  of  the  fifteenth  century  felt  the  neces- 
sity for  converting  theory  into  practice.  Portugal  took 
the  lead  in  this  work,  followed  closely  by  the  sister 
kingdom  of  the  peninsula.  Pedro  Nunez,  better  known 
as  Nonius,  lived  from  1497  to  1577.  He  taught  mathe- 
matics at  Coimbra  for  many  years,  and  published  his 
work  on  the  art  of  navigation  in  1530.  Nonius  gave 
the  solution  of  several  problems,  including  the  deter- 
mination of  the  latitude  by  the  sun's  double  altitude. 
He  introduced  the  use  of  rhumb  lines  on  charts,  and 
exposed  the  errors  of  plane  charts,  without,  however, 
suggesting  any  improvement.  The  Spaniard  Martin 
Fernandez  Enciso  was  the  contemporary  of  Nonius, 
but  he  was  an  explorer  as  well  as  an  astronomical 
student.  In  his  "  Suma  de  Geografia,"  the  second 
edition  of  which  was  published  in  1530,  he  gives  tables 
of  declination  and  descriptions  6f  the  use  of  instru- 
ments. His  work  was  the  first  practical  navigation 
book  for  the  use  of  sailors.  Enciso  was  followed  by 
Guevara,  Zamorano,  and  Chaves ;  but  the  best  known 
Spanish  navigation  books  were  those  of  Medina  and 
Cortes.  The  "Rules  of  Navigation,"  by  Pedro  de  Medina, 
first  published  at  Seville  in  1563,  went  through  many 
editions,  and  was  translated  into  Dutch  with  a  supple- 


1594]    PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.        151 

ment  by  Michel  Coignet  of  Antwerp.  It  was  the  work 
on  which  Dutch  navigators  mainly  relied  in  their  voy- 
ages during  the  earlier  years  of  independence,  and  a  copy 
was  found  at  the  winter  quarters  of  Barents  in  Novaya 
Zemlya  in  1871,  which  had  endured  the  Arctic  frosts 
and  snows  for  nearly  three  centuries.  But  Martin 
Cortes  was  the  Spanish  author  best  known  in  England. 
His  work  covered  more  ground  than  that  of   Medina, 

PerspectiTe     •»»         .     . 
qyliAarical     ^^°^^^ 

Brojectioii  IVojecUoa 


Plane 
Chart. 

Lambert's 

Cylmdric  al 
I^ojection 

80 

70 

90 

SO 

60 

»o 

60 



70 

eo 

SO 

40 

50 

io 

•0 

*o 

iO 

30 

»o 

so 

20 

■20 

20 

10— 1 

10 

\0 

VARIOUS   PROJECTIONS. 


and  was  entitled  "A  Brief  Compendium  of  the  Sphere 
and  of  the  Art  of  Navigation,  with  New  Instruments, 
and  Bules  illustrated  by  very  Subtle  Demonstrations." 
Cortes  was  the  first  to  suggest  the  existence  of  a  mag- 
netic pole  different  from  the  pole  of  the  earth.  Spanish 
pilots  had  to  pass  a  stiff  examination  before  receiving 
charge  of  a  ship ;  and  such  care  was  taken  in  ascertain- 
ing positions  and  in  navigating,  that  Spanish  seamen 


152  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [14S0. 

were  constantly  held  up  as  examples  to  Euglishinen  by 
the  writers  of  the  day.  Practice  led,  in  some  instances, 
to  the  introduction  of  improvements  and  to  inventions ; 
and  it  is  probable  that  when  Sarmiento  tells  us  that  he 
himself  constructed  a  new  cross-staff  to  subtend  a  larger 
angle  than  could  be  taken  with  any  then  in  use,  he  was 
endeavouring  to  observe  a  lunar  distance. 

When  England  began  to  take  a  lead  in  maritime 
enterprise,  her  people  were  far  behind  the  sailors  of  the 
Peninsula  in  knowledge  of  nautical  astronomy  and  navi- 
gation. As  Englishmen  acquired  skill  in  the  .art  of 
war  by  studying  the  military  system  of  the  Spanish 
army  in  the  Low  Countries,  so  they  took  Spanish  navi- 
gators as  their  masters  and  instructors  in  the  seaman's 
art.  In  both  they  soon  came  up  with  and  passed  their 
guides.  The  first  publications  for  the  use  of  English 
sailors  were  the  "  Rutters  of  the  Sea,"  the  earliest 
having  been  written  in  the  fifteenth  century ;  but  they 
were  merely  rough  sailing  directions  for  the  English 
and  adjacent  coasts.  It  was  to  Stephen  Borough,  the 
Arctic  navigator  and  countryman  of  Davis,  that  Eng- 
land owes  her  first  navigation  book.  Feeling  the  want 
of  such  a  manual  very  strongly,  he  induced  Mr.  Richard 
Eden,  the  publisher  of  the  first  collection  of  voyages 
and  travels,  to  undertake  a  translation  of  the  Spanish 
work  of  Martin  Cortes.  It  appeared  in  1561,  and  there 
were  ten  fresh  additions  between  that  date  and  16 15. 
The  work  of  Guevara  was  published  in  a  translated 
form  by  Edward  Hellowes  in  1578.  Medina  was  also 
translated  into  English  by  John  Frampton  in  1581,  but 
it  never  attained  the  same  popularity  as  Eden's  edition 
of  Cortes. 

Bourne's  "Regiment  of  the  Sea,"  published  in  1573, 


1594-]     PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.        153 

was  the  first  original  work  on  navigation  by  an  English- 
man, but  even  it  was  merely  designed  as  a  supplement 
to  Cortes.  There  was  a  considerable  demand  for  it,  and 
an  enlarged  edition  was  brought  out  by  Dr.  Thomas 
Hood  in  1596,  with  new  tables  of  the  sun's  declination. 
A  special  interest  attaches  to  the  work  of  Bourne,  be- 
cause it  is  the  first  in  which  the  existing  method  of 
measuring  the  run  of  a  ship  is  fully  described.  It  has 
scarcely  been  improved  since.  A  "  log  ship  "  is  thrown 
overboard  in  such  a  way  that  it  remains  in  the  water 
where  it  falls,  while  the  line  attached  to  it  is  allowed  to 
run  out  during  a  fixed  interval,  timed  either  by  counting 
or  by  a  minute-glass.  Then  the  number  of  knots  marked 
on  the  line  that  have  run  out  is  to  the  time  interval 
shown  by  the  glass  as  the  number  of  miles  equivalent 
to  the  knots  is  to  an  hour.  After  the  publication  of 
Bourne's  "  Regiment "  the  practice  of  heaving  the  log 
is  mentioned  in  narratives  of  voyages,  especially  by 
Luke  Fox  in  his  voyage  to  Hudson's  Bay.^ 

As  the  interest  in  maritime  adventure  increased  in 
England,  and  voyages  became  more  numerous,  the  de- 
mand for  navigation  books  and  instruments  became 
greater.  The  attention  of  many  of  the  ablest  men  in 
both  Universities  was  turned  to  the  subject.  Dr.  Dee 
contributed  several  useful  treatises  from  his  richly-stored 
brain ;  John  Blagrave  and  Thomas  Hood  made  improve- 
ments in  the  astrolabe  and  cross-staff,  and  Thomas 
Blundeville  wrote  his  "Exercises"  in  1594,  which  was 
very  popular,  and  went  through  several  editions.  The 
science  of  terrestrial  magnetism  was  much  advanced  in 

^  Bourne  in  his  "Inventions  or  Devices"  (1578),  No.  21,  tells 
us  that  the  deviser  of  the  log  and  line  was  Humphrey  Cole  of  the 
Mint  in  the  Tower. 


154  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [14S0. 

England  during  the  same  period.  The  subject  of  com- 
pass variation  was  finst  treated  of  in  the  "Discourse  of 
the  Magnet  and  Loadstone,"  by  William  Borough  in 
1 58 1,  and  it  was  more  closely  investigated  by  Robert 
Korman.  In  a  work  called  the  "  New  Attractive,"  Nor- 
man described  his  discovery  of  the  dip  of  the  needle  and 
his  invention  of  the  dipping-needle.  A  few  years  after- 
wards the  series  of  observations  for  the  variation  of  the 
compass  at  London  was  commenced,  which  has  been  con- 
tinued uninterruptedly  to  the  present  day.  But  the 
greatest  advance  was  made  by  Dr.  Gilbert  of  Colchester, 
who,  in  his  work  published  in  1600,  propounded  the 
theoi-y  that  the  earth  itself  was  a  magnet. 

The  learned  cosmographers  who  had  acquired  prac- 
tical experience  by  making  sea-voyages  did  most  valu- 
able services  to  nautical  science  in  England  as  else- 
"wheie,  and  it  is  to  one  of  these  that  we  owe  the  com- 
plete utilisation  of  charts  on  Mercator's  projection. 
Edwfird  Wright  was  a  native  of  Garveston,  a  village  in 
Noifolk,  and  was  born  in  1560,  being  nine  years  of  age 
when  Mercator  published  his  chart  in  1569.  He  was 
entered  of  Gonville  and  Caius  College  at  Cambridge, 
and  before  many  years  he  became  well  known  as  a 
profound  mathematician.  lie  accompanied  the  Earl  of 
Cumberland  in  his  expedition  to  the  Azores  in  1590, 
and  we  have  already  seen  how  he  met  John  Davis  at 
llorta,  in  the  island  of  Fayal.  Wright  then  acquired 
that  practical  knowledge  of  navigation  which  completed 
his  education.  lie  applied  the  test  of  practice  to  his 
theories,  and  saw  for  himself  of  what  sailors  were  most  in 
need.  From  that  time  he  gave  much  attention  to  the 
improvement  of  the  charts  then  in  use.  He  tells  us 
how  the  chart  of  Mercator  suggested  the  means,     "  By 


1 594-]    PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.        155 

reason,  he  wrote,  "  of  that  map  of  Mercator,  I  first 
thought  of  correcting  so  many  and  grave  errors  and 
absurdities  in  common  use  on  charts,  by  increasing 
distances  of  parallels  from  the  equinoctial  to  the  pole. 
But  the  xoay  how  it  should  he  done,  I  learnt  neither  of 
Mercator  nor  of  any  one  else^ 

After  his  return  from  the  voyage  to  the  Azores, 
Wright  resided  at  Cambridge  as  Fellow  of  his  College, 
and  it  was  there,  in  1594,  that  he  discovered  the 
method  of  dividing  the  meridian,  in  the  very  year  of 
Mercator's  death.  He  sent  his  discovery  to  his  friend 
Thomas  Blundeville,  with  a  table  of  meridional  parts,  a 
specimen  of  a  chart  con-ectly  divided,  and  an  explana- 
tion of  the  principle.  All  this  was  published  in  the 
same  year  in  Blundeville's  "  Exercises."  Wright  did 
not  publish  his  own  treatise,  entitled  "  The  Correction  of 
Certain  Errors  in  Navigation,"  until  five  years  after- 
wards. He  then  showed  the  principle  of  the  division 
of  meridians,  the  manner  of  constructing  a  table  of 
meridional  parts,  and  its  uses  in  navigation.  So  that 
it  is  to  Wright,  the  practical  navigator,  and  not  to 
Mercator,  the  theoretical  student,  that  the  honour  is 
due  of  being  the  first  to  demonstrate  the  true  principle 
upon  which  sea-charts  should  be  constructed,  by  means 
of  tables  of  meridional  parts.  Before  Wright's  publica- 
tion of  the  tables  Mercator's  projection  was  practically 
useless.  Almost  immediately  after  Wright's  publication 
the  charts  on  Mercator's  projection  came  into  general 
use;  Hondius  having  produced  his  new  chart  of  the 
world  at  Amsterdam,  by  the  use  of  Wright's  tables,  in 
1595.  Mercator  was  the  inventor,  Wright  completed 
the  invention,  and  made  it  practically  useful. 

Wiight  was  not  the  only  learned  university  professor 


156  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1480. 

who  combined  practical  knowledge  of  life  at  sea  with 
theoretical  study.  Robert  Hues  of  Hereford,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  year  as  John  Davis,  was  an  Oxford 
graduate.  He  was  the  friend  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
and  his  executor.  He  accompanied  Cavendish  in  his 
second  voyage,  and  had  also  been  on  the  coast  of  North 
Americ.'i.  Hues  and  Davis  must  often  have  met  at 
Port  Desire  and  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  and  have 
exchanged  ideas.  Davis  would  enjoy  conversations 
with  one  who  was  deeply  versed  in  the  history  of 
astronomical  science,  while  Hues  would  benefit  from 
the  great  practical  experience  of  the  Arctic  navigator. 
The  results  of  the  learning  and  ripe  knowledge  of  Hues 
were  given  to  the  world  in  his  "  Tractatus  de  Globis 
et  eorum  Usu,"  which  was  published  in  1594.  While 
reviewing  all  the  knowledge  of  the  ancient  Greeks  and 
Arabians,  he  explained  the  uses  of  the  globe,  and  pro- 
pounded various  problems  in  navigation,  including  that 
famous  one  afterwards  proposed  by  Halley.  Tho 
** Tractatus"  was  much  read,  and  was  translated  into 
English  and  Dutch.  It  included  a  valuable  chapter  on 
the  use  of  rhumbs  by  Thomas  Heriot,  another  learned 
scholar  who  had  practical  experience  as  a  navigator. 
Heriot  accompanied  Sir  Richard  Grenville  in  his 
voyage  to  Virginia,  and  wrote  the  **  Brief  and  True 
Report  of  that  New  Found  Land."  He  was  the 
mathematical  instructor  of  Raleigh,  the  correspondent 
of  Kepler,  and  the  author  of  a  great  work  on  algebra. 
Hues  died  at  Oxford  in  1632,  at  a  good  old  age.  But 
Heriot  was  a  martyr  to  science.  His  death,  in  1621, 
was  due  to  a  dreadful  ulcer  on  his  lip,  caused  by  a 
habit  of  holding  instruments  with  verdigris  on  them 
in    his    mouth.     Wright,    Hues,   and    Heriot   were    all 


1 594]    PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  NAVIGATION.        157 

examples  of  men  whoso  most  useful  work  in  advancing 
nautical  science  was  due  to  their  having  added  experi- 
ence derived  fi'om  sea-voyages  to  the  knowledge  acquired 
in  their  studies.  John  Davis,  on  the  other  hand,  was  a 
man  who  added  knowledge  derived  from  students  and 
books  as  opportunity  offered  to  profound  and  extensive 
experience  as  a  seaman. 


en  AFTER    IX. 

AUTHORSHIP. 

John  Davis  wrote  his  work  on  navigation  at  Sandridge, 
and  dated  the  dedication  to  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham 
on  the  2oth  of  August  1594.  It  is  entitled,  "  The  Sea- 
man's Secrets,  divided  into  Two  Parts,  wherein  is  taught 
the  Three  Kinds  of  SaiHng,  Horizontal,  Paradoxal,  and 
Sailing  on  a  Great  Circle  ;  with  many  other  most  neces- 
sary Rules  and  Instruments  not  heretofore  set  forth  by 
any."  It  was  j^rinted  by  Thomas  Dawson,  "  dwelling  near 
the  Three  Cranes  in  the  Vinetree." 

The  object  of  Davis  was  to  furnish  his  brother  sailors 
■with  hints  and  suggestions  derived  from  his  own  long 
experience,  rather  than  to  write  a  regvilar  treatise  on 
navigation.  He  described  his  book  as  "  a  brief  account 
of  such  practices  as,  in  my  several  voyages,  I  have  from 
experience  collected."  His  dedication  to  his  old  admiral 
recalled  the  glorious  days  when  tlie  Spanish  Armada  was 
repulsed,  and  he  touchingly  referred  to  the  false  accusa- 
tion of  treachery  which  had  been  made  by  Cavendish, 
but  which  his  whole  conduct  refuted.  He  then  makes 
some  remarks  on  the  importance  of  the  art  of  navigation. 
"  It  is,"  he  says,  "  the  means  whereby  countries  are 
discovered,  and  community  drawn  between  nation  and 
nation.     By  navigation  commonweals,  through  mutual 

158 


THE 

SEAMANS  SE 

CRETS- 

Deuidcd  into  i.parces^whereiDts  taught  tlie 

three  kjndes  of SayI'mg,  HonzontdlfParaioxS^dfa^riQ  yfm  a. 

great  circle  :  alfo  an  Horizontal]  Tyde  Table  for  thceaile  finding  of 
the ebhingand  jlmi«£ofthe Tfdes,  n'fth  a  'B^gtment mw^caJcaioi' 
ted  ioj  die^nding  of  the  Declination  ofthc  Sunne  andmany 
nhttmnfinteeflaj  nUt  tmd  toflrvBteiru 
mtbmtoferf  fftfiettb 
byatrjt 

Newly  correfled  by  th  e  author  Ihi  Dauts  of  SandniikL^ 


ly  fmPrinte^i at  London  by  Thomas  Daw/bil, 
dwelling  ncere  thethree  Cranes  in  the  ViQCttc^ 

aninfftbtre  to  Sefolde*   i  tf  o  7 


(FAC-SIMILP-   Ol'   TITLE-PAGE.) 


1594-98]  AUTHORSHIP.  159 

trade,  are  not  only  sustained  but  mightily  enriched ; " 
and  he  therefore  claims  that  the  "  painful  seaman  ought 
to  be  held  in  great  esteem,  by  whose  hard  adventures 
such  excellent  benefits  are  achieved ;  for  by  his  exceed- 
ing great  hazards  the  form  of  the  earth,  the  quantities 
of  countries,  the  diversity  of  nations,  the  natures  of 
climates,  countries,  and  people,  are  made  known  to  us." 
He  takes  Spain  as  an  example,  pointing  out  that  the 
greatness  of  that  nation  is  caused  by  "  the  paiuful  in- 
dustry of  the  Spaniards  in  navigation." 

The  momentous  character  of  the  subject  makes  it  the 
duty  of  every  man  who  has  a  knowledge  of  it  to  impart 
that  knowledge  to  the  best  of  his  abilities,  "  among  whom, 
as  the  most  unmeet  of  all,  j-et  wishing  all  good  to  the 
painful  traveller,  T  have  published  this  short  treatise, 
naming  it  the  '  Seaman's  Secrets,'  because  by  certain 
questions  demanded  and  answered  I  have  not  omitted 
anything  that  appertaineth  to  the  secret  of  navigation, 
whei'eby  if  thei^e  may  grow  any  increase  of  knowledge 
or  ease  in  practice,  it  is  the  thing  which  I  chiefly  desire." 
The  work  was  intended  for  sailors.  It  was  a  book  of 
wrinkles.  Omitting  "  cunning  conclusions  "  and  pro- 
blems only  suited  for  scholars  to  study  on  shore,  it 
dwelt  exclusively  on  "  those  things  that  are  needfully 
required  in  a  sufiicient  seaman."  He  thus  explained 
his  intention  to  the  Lord  Admiral,  but,  in  addressing 
his  own  brethren  of  the  sea,  he  appealed  with  confidence 
to  their  sympathy.  "  I  distrust  not  but  all  honest- 
minded  seamen  and  pilots  of  reputation  will  gratefully 
accept  this  book — only  in  regard  of  my  friendly  good- 
will towards  them,  for  it  is  not  only  in  respect  of  my 
pains,  but  of  my  love  that  I  would  receive  favourable 
courtesy." 


160  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1594. 

Davis  divides  the  art  of  navigation  into  three  parts. 
Horizontal  navigation  is  the  same  as  what  is  now  called 
plane  sailing,  or  })roblems  which  require  the  use  of 
plane  trigonometjy  only.  By  paradoxal  sailing  Davis 
means  sailing  on  the  spiral  a  ship  would  describe  if  she 
continiied  sailing  round  the  world  on  any  course  except 
east  and  west,  north  and  south.  He  defines  it  also  as 
the  gathering  together  of  many  courses  into  one,  or 
what  is  now  called  "  working  a  traverse."  A  "  traverse 
table  "  is  now  used  to  obviate  the  necessity  for  computa- 
tion which  existed  in  the  time  of  Davis.  The  third  part 
is  "  great  circle  navigation,"  which  Davis  defines  as 
the  one  shortest  way  between  place  and  place,  the  ship 
keeping  on  the  great  circle  which  passes  through  the 
place  of  departure  and  the  place  of  destination. 

Having  defined  the  three  kinds  of  navigation,  Davis 
proceeds  to  describe  the  instruments  which,  in  his  time, 
"  were  necessary  for  the  execution  of  this  excellent  skill." 
These  were  a  sea  compass,  a  cross-staff  and  astrolabe 
for  measuring  the  altitudes  of  heavenly  bodies,  an 
azimuth  compass,  a  chart,  and  a  paradoxal  compass. 
This  last  instrument  was  pi'obably  designed  to  show 
how  the  line  of  the  course  cuts  the  several  meridians, 
these  meridians  being  drawn  upon  their  proper  inclina- 
tion. 

After  explaining  the  use  of  these  necessary  instru- 
ments, the  author  treats  of  the  moon's  motion  and  of 
the  tides,  describing  an  instrument  which  he  invented, 
called  a  "horizontal  tide-table,"  for  finding  the  time 
of  high  and  low  water.  The  diagram  referred  to  in  the 
text  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  copy  of  the  "  Seaman's 
Secrets "  at  the  British  Museum ;  but  it  is  fully  ex- 
plained,   with    several   examples,  and   appears  to  have 


1598.]  AUTHORSHIP.  161 

been  a  useful  contrivance  for  assisting  a  navigator  to 
ascertain  the  tides  at  various  places. 

The  rules  for  ascertaining  the  latitude  are  then  given. 
Old  writers  almost  invariably  speak  of  the  latitude  as 
the  pole's  altitude,  or  the  height  of  the  pole.  Davis 
begins  by  demonstrating  the  simple  problem  that  the 
height  of  the  pole  above  the  horizon  is  equal  to  the  lati- 
tude, and  he  then  explains  the  methods  of  finding  the 
latitude  by  observing  the  meridian  altitude  of  the  sun 
or  of  a  fixed  star.  He  describes  the  cross-staff,  and  the 
way  to  observe  with  it,  and  gives  some  necessary  hints 
respecting  corrections  for  declination,  derived  from  his 
experience  both  in  the  Northern  Seas  and  in  Magellan's 
Straits.  Davis  used  the  "  Ephemeris"  of  Stadius  in  pre- 
paring tables  of  the  sun's  declination,  a  work  Avhich  was 
in  general  use  in  this  country.  Johannes  Stadius  was 
professor  of  mathematics  at  Paris,  and  afterwards  at 
Louvain.     He  published  his  first  almanac  at  Cologne  in 

1545- 

The  sections  devoted  by  Davis  to  the  sea-chart  and 
its  uses  are  very  complete.  He  clearly  explains  the 
errors  of  the  plane  chart  then  in  use,  and  shows  that 
it  is  almost  worthless  for  a  long  voyage ;  although  for 
short  courses,  and  for  plans  of  coast-lines  and  anchor- 
ages, it  is  "  to  very  good  purpose  for  the  pilot's  use." 
Davis  lays  down  three  rules  which  ought  to  be  observed 
with  special  care  by  a  good  pilot.  The  first  is  to  obtain 
a  reliable  observation  for  latitude,  the  second  to  ascer- 
tain the  variation  of  his  compass,  and  the  third  to  note 
down  the  rate  the  ship  is  going  every  hour.  The 
method  of  finding  what  a  ship  is  going  by  the  log  and 
line,  which  was  explained  by  Bourne  in  3573,  appears 
to  have  been  in  such  general  use  in  Davis's  time  that  he 

L 


162  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1594. 

did  not  think  it  necessary  to  refer  to  it.  He,  however, 
makes  a  number  of  practical  suggestions,  confessing  at 
the  same  time  that  "  these  things  are  better  leai-nt  by 
practice  than  taught  by  pen,"  and  he  conchides  this 
section  of  his  subject  with  an  admirable  passage  :— "  It 
is  not  possible  tbat  any  man  can  be  a  good  and  suffi- 
cient pilot  or  skilful  seaman  but  by  painful  and  diligent 
practice,  with  the  assistance  of  art,  whereby  the  famous 
pilot  may  be  esteemed  worthy  of  his  profession,  as  a 
member  meete  for  the  common  weal  "  Captain  Bed- 
ford, in  his  "Sailor's  Pocket- Book,"  impressed  the  same 
truth  on  his  readers,  nearly  three  centuries  after  Davis 
had  written.  "  The  mastery  of  the  ocean  cannot  be 
learnt  upon  the  shore,  and  can  only  be  acquired  by 
incessant  practice  on  shipboard,  and  at  sea."  Davis 
illustrated  his  section  on  charts  with  a  special  chart 
of  the  British  Channel,  usually  called  "the  Sleeve"  in 
those  days.  It  contained  soundings  as  well  as  the  out- 
lines of  the  coast,  and  was  drawn  partly  from  his  own 
sui'veys,  and  partly  from  the  work  of  other  reliable 
pilots.  He  justly  valued  this  carefully  prepared  chart, 
for  it  had  never  failed  to  give  him  the  true  position  of 
his  ship  when  he  had  got  what  he  calls  "  the  altitude 
and  depth,"  in  other  words,  the  latitude  and  soundings. 
"Therefore,"  he  says,  "have  it  not  in  light  regard,  for 
it  will  give  you  great  evidence,  and  is  worthy  to  be  kept 
as  a  special  jewel  for  the  seaman's  use,  be  he  never 
so  expert."  Unfortunately  Davis's  chart  of  the  British 
Channel  is  neither  in  the  copy  of  the  "Seaman's  Secrets" 
at  the  British  Museum  nor  in  that  in  the  Pepys  Library 
at  Cambridge. 

Davis  concludes   his  first   book   by  giving  the   form 
in  which  a  log  should  be  kept,  adding  a  page  from  the 


159S.]  AUTHOKSHIP.  1G3 

log  of  the  Desire  in  March  1593.  The  first  column 
gives  the  date,  the  second  the  observed  latitude,  the 
third  the  courses,  the  fourth  the  distances  run,  the 
fifth  the  wind,  and  the  sixth  the  variation  of  the 
compass. 

The  second  book  of  the  "  Seaman's  Secrets  "  is  devoted 
to  a  description  of  the  globe,  its  uses,  and  the  solution 
of  numerous  problems  by  its  means.  Davis  thought 
most  highly  of  the  globe  as  an  instrument  for  use  in 
navigation.  "  The  use  of  the  globe  is  of  so  great  ease, 
certainty,  and  pleasure  as  that  the  commendations 
thereof  cannot  sufficiently  be  expressed ;  for  of  all  in- 
struments it  is  the  most  rare  and  excellent."  Consider- 
ing the  errors  of  a  plane  chart,  it  is  no  wonder  that  a 
careful  and  scientific  seaman,  like  Davis,  should  turn 
to  the  globe  for  the  solution  of  his  problems.  Un- 
acquainted with  the  tables  by  which  Wright  was  about 
to  utilise  Mercator's  projection,  Davis  had  given  much 
thought  to  some  means  of  improving  the  sea-chart  then 
in  use.  He  announced  his  intention  of  publishing  what 
he  called  a  *'  paradoxal  chart,"  serving  the  purpose  of  a 
globe.  It  was  probably  a  scheme  for  representing  the 
globe  on  a  flat  surface  with  due  regard  to  the  conver- 
gence of  the  meridians.  But  the  publication  of  Wright 
was  on  the  eve  of  bringing  Mercator's  projection  into 
general  use. 

At  the  close  of  his  little  volume,  Davis  gives  an 
indication  that  he  had  discovered  a  method  of  solving 
problems  in  navigation  by  arithmetical  calculation.  He 
speaks  of  "  that  sweet  skill  of  sailing  which  may  well 
be  called  navigation  arithmetical,  because  it  wholly 
consisteth  of  calculations  comprehended  within  the 
limits  of  numbers.     For  there  can  be  nothing  that  by 


1G4 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS. 


[1594. 


this  heavenly  harmony  of  numbers  shall  not  be  most 
copiously  manifested,  to  the  seaman's  admiration  and 
great  content,  the  orderly  practice  whereof,  to  the  best 
of  my  poor  capacity,  I  purpose  to  make  known."  He 
never  found  an  opportunity  of  fulfilling  this  promise, 
but  he  had  evidently  made  some  discovery  of  a  means  of 


THE  CROSS  STAFF. 


handling  figures  analogous  to  that  which  Napier  gave 
to  the  world  a  few  years  later.  It  was  reserved  for 
Henry  Briggs  to  improve  upon  the  discovery  of  Napier, 
and  to  bring  logarithms  into  general  use,  by  the  pub- 
lication of  his  "  Arithmetica  Logarithmica "  in  1624. 
Davis  was  probably  on  the  verge  of  a  similar  discovery. 


1598.] 


AUTHORSHIP. 


165 


This  remarkable  man  was  an  enthusiast.  His  pat- 
riotism, and  his  love  for  his  noble  profession  led  him  to 
concentrate  all  the  energies  of  his  mind  on  the  means 
of  improving  the  art  of  navigation  and  facilitating  the 
work  of  seamen.     "  It  was  not  in  respect  of  his  pains, 


-    Q 


THE  BACK-STAFF,   OR  DATIS  QUADRANT. 


but  of  his  love,"  that  he  desired  to  be  judged.  Not 
only  did  he  promote  the  safety  of  British  ships  by  his 
surveys  and  charts,  and  assist  their  navigation  by  the 
publication  of  his  secrets ;  he  also  invented  a  great 
improvement  in  the  instruments  for  observing  for 
latitude.     The  "  back-staff  "  or  '*  Davis  quadrant "  was 


1G6  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1594. 

the  offspring  of  liia  brnin,  and  was  perfected  at  about 
this  time.  It  consisted  of  two  concentric  arcs  of  box 
wood,  G,  F,  and  E,  T),  and  of  three  vanes,  A,  B,  and  C, 
with  the  necessaiy  frame,  the  arc  of  one  radius  being 
60°,  and  of  the  other  30°.  A  vane  was  set  on  each  arc, 
that  on  the  longer  arc,  C,  being  called  the  sight  vane, 
and  on  the  shorter,  B,  the  shade-vane.  At  the  end  of 
the  long  radius  was  the  horizon-vane,  A.  The  shadc- 
vane  upon  the  arc  of  60°  was  set  an  even  degree  with 
some  latitude  less  by  10°  or  15°  than  the  complement  of 
the  sun's  altitude  was  judged  to  be.  Tlie  observer  then 
turned  his  back  to  the  sun  and  looked  through  the  sight- 
vane  on  the  longer  arc,  raising  or  lowering  the  in- 
strument until  the  shadow  of  the  upper  edge  of  the 
shade-vane  fell  on  the  upper  edge  of  the  slit  in  the 
horizon-vane.  Then,  if  he  could  see  the  horizon  through 
the  slit,  the  observation  was  exact  and  the  vanes  were 
rightly  adjusted.  If  the  sea  or  sky,  and  not  the 
horizon,  appeared,  the  sight-vane  was  moved  upwards 
or  downwards  until  the  horizon  was  on.  The  degrees 
and  minutes  cut  by  the  edge  of  the  sight- vane,  added  to 
the  degrees  cut  by  the  edge  of  the  shade-vane,  were 
equal  to  the  complement  of  the  latitude  or  zenith  dis' 
tance. 

This  instrument  was  a  great  improvement  on  the 
cross-staff,  and  came  into  general  use.  It  was  improved 
by  Flamsteed,  and  was  the  forerunner  of  the  discovery 
of  the  plan  of  taking  angles  by  reflection.  Davis's 
quadrant  was  the  received  instrument  until  Hadley's 
reflecting  quadrant  superseded  it  in  1731. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  charts  constructed  by 
Davis  have  been  lost,  including  those  of  his  Arctic  dis- 
coveries, of  the  Scilly  Islands,  of  the  British  Channel, 


JS9'^-1  AUTHORSHIP.  167 

and  of  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  But  his  labours  were 
not  in  vain,  for  his  work  was  embodied  in  subsequent 
maps,  and  was  useful  alike  to  his  own  generation  and 
to  posterity.  For  instance,  the  Northern  discoveries 
of  Davis  are  given  on  that  famous  globe  "  which  Mr 
Sanderson,  to  his  very  great  charge,  hath  published,  for 
the  which  he  deserveth  great  favour  and  commenda- 
tions." The  expenses  of  constructing  this  globe  were 
defrayed  by  Mr.  Sanderson,  the  old  patron  of  Davis,  and 
the  construction  of  the  two  globes  was  intrusted  to 
Emery  Molyneux,  an  able  mathematician  and  drafts- 
man. The  celestial  and  terrestrial  globes  are  two  feet 
in  diameter,  beautifully  executed  and  well  mounted. 
They  were  completed  in  1592,  but  received  additions 
up  to  1603.  The  terrestrial  globe  not  only  shows  the 
discoveries  of  Davis,  but  the  tracks  of  Drake  and 
Cavendish  round  the  world,  and  the  later  northern 
discoveries  of  Barents.  The  Molyneux  globes  were  the 
first  ever  constructed  in  this  country,  and  they  are  still 
preserved  in  the  library  of  the  Middle  Temple.  Such 
was  the  importance  attached  to  them,  that  they  formed 
the  subject  of  special  treatises  by  Hues  and  Hood,  and 
were  elaborately  described  by  Blundeville.  It  is 
evident  that  Davis  assisted  in  their  preparation,  for 
there  are  several  names  on  the  northern  coasts  which 
he  explored,  that  do  not  occur  elsewhere ;  and  it  is 
probable  that  the  employment  of  Molyneux  by  Mr. 
Sanderson  was  due  to  the  recommendation  of  the  Arctic 
navigator.  The  globe  of  IMolyneux  has  preserved  the 
northern  labours  of  Davis,  although  his  original  work  is 
lost;  and  the  other  charts  which  gave  the  results  of  his 
varied  labours  served  a  useful  purpose  during  many 
years,  and  until  they  were  superseded  by  later  surveys 


168  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1594. 

The  "  New  Map  "  of  the  world  on  Mercator's  projection, 
which  was  intended  to  illustrate  Hakluyt's  great  work, 
but  which  was  not  published  until  1599,  also  contains 
the  discoveries  of  Davis.  It  is  attributed  to  Wright, 
but  there  is  evidence  that  Davis  assisted  in  its  con- 
struction. Both  the  Molyneux  globe  and  the  "  New 
Map"  of  1599  have  the  " Fm-ious  Ofer/aU"  at  the 
entrance  of  Hudson's  Sti-ait. 

It  was  in  these  years  of  sorrowful  retirement,  when 
he  turned  to  study  and  literary  labour  for  some 
alleviation  to  his  grief,  that  Davis  probably  achieved 
his  most  permanently  useful  work  for  mankind.  His 
charts  proved  invaluable  guides  to  British  pilots  for  a 
long  course  of  years,  his  treatise  on  navigation  was 
equally  serviceable,  and  his  "  back- staff "  facilitated 
observations,  increased  their  accuracy,  and  was  the 
direct  forerunner  of  reflecting  quadrants  and  of  the 
sextants  of  the  present  day.  Columbus,  Behaim,  and 
Enciso,  Hues,  Wright,  and  Heriot  have  been  referred 
to  as  examples  of  men  who  advanced  the  science  of 
navigation  through  a  combination  of  practical  expe- 
rience at  sea  with  the  theoretical  knowledge  of  the 
student.  But  Davis  is  perhaps  the  most  remarkable 
instance  of  the  importance  of  such  combination.  His 
discoveries  would  not  have  been  made,  his  hydrogra- 
phical  work  would  not  have  been  executed,  his  hints 
and  suggestions  for  improvements  in  navigation  would 
not  have  had  the  same  value,  if  he  had  not  combined 
scientific  knowledge  acquired  by  deep  study,  with  un- 
rivalled experience  as  a  practical  seaman.  Above  all, 
he  possessed  and  cultivated  the  power  of  hard  work,  and 
he  was  inspired  by  the  patriotic  desire  to  perform  useful 
service  to  his  country.     "  What  made  John  Davis   so 


1598.]  AUTHORSHIP.  169 

famous  for  navigation  but  his  learning,  which  was  con- 
firmed by  experience,"  wrote  Sir  William  Monson  in 
one  of  his  "Naval  Tracts." 

The  dream  of  Davis's  life  was  the  discovery  of  the 
North-West  Passage,  for  the  increase  of  the  wealth  and 
prosperity  of  his  country.  For  this  he  undertook  three 
dangerous  voyages  to  the  Arctic  Regions  ;  for  this  he 
risked  life  and  fortune  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan ;  and 
now,  in  his  retirement,  he  took  up  his  pen  to  make  a 
final  effort,  with  the  hope  of  arousing  in  the  Government 
and  the  country  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  achieving 
this  great  undertaking.  Sir  Francis  Walsingham,  the 
powerful  and  enlightened  patron  of  Arctic  discovery, 
had  died  on  the  6th  of  April  1590.  But  surely  some 
of  his  patriotic  spirit  must  linger  with  his  colleagues. 
In  the  hope  that  zeal  for  exploration  was  not  quite  dead 
at  the  Council  Board,  but  only  sleeping,  Davis  addressed 
an  appeal  to  the  Lords  of  Her  Majesty's  Most  Honour- 
able Privy  Council  on  the  27th  of  May  1595,  just  ten 
years  after  his  departure  on  his  first  Arctic  voyage. 

The  appeal  is  entitled  "The  Worlde's  Hydrographical 
Description,  wherein  is  proved,  not  onely  by  aucthoritie 
of  "Writers,  but  also  by  late  experience  of  Travellers  and 
reasons  of  substantial  probabilitie,  that  the  World  in 
all  his  zones,  climates,  and  places  is  habitable,  and  the 
sea  likewise  universally  navigable  without  any  natural 
annoyance  to  hinder  the  same ;  whereby  appeares  that 
from  England  there  is  a  short  and  speedie  passage  to 
India  by  nortlierly  navigation  ;  to  the  renown,  honour, 
and  benefit  of  Her  Majesty's  State  and  Commonalty." 
It  was  published  by  "  J.  Davis  of  Sandridge  by  Dai-t- 
mouth,  in  the  county  of  Devon,  Gentleman,"  and  printed 
at  London  by  "  Thomas  Dawson,  dwelling  at  the  Three 


170  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1594. 

Cranes  in  the  Vinetree,  and  are  there  to  be  sold,"  in 

1595- 

Davis  opens  his  argument  by  stating  the  objections 
of  adverse  critics.  It  was  urged  that  America  and 
Asia  were  joined,  so  as  to  make  a  passage  impossible, 
as  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  passage  had  been 
often  attempted  and  never  achieved.  Another  objection 
was,  that  even  if  tlie  continents  were  not  joined,  the 
cold  is  so  exti'eme  that  no  mortal  creature  can  endure 
it.  The  quantities  of  ice  carried  down  to  Newfound- 
land, by  which  fishermen  are  "so  noisomely  pestered," 
proves  that  the  sea  to  the  northward  is  congealed  into 
one  mass  of  ice.  "  Wlien  in  these  temperate  parts  of 
the  world  the  shod  of  that  frozen  sea  breedeth  such 
noisome  pester  as  the  poor  fishermen  do  continually 
sustain,  what  hope  remains  in  60°  to  80°  ?  "  Finally,  it 
was  argued  that  no  ordinary  sea-chart  can  describe 
those  regions,  either  in  the  parts  geographical  or  hydro- 
graphical,  where  the  meridians  do  so  speedily  gather 
themselves  together,  and  where  quic^k  and  uncertain 
variation  of  the  compass  may  greatly  hinder  or  over- 
throw the  attempt. 

The  rejjlies,  as  is  natural,  are  set  forth  much  more 
fully  than  the  objections.  The  connection  of  Asia  and 
America  is  disproved  both  by  the  evidence  of  ancient 
writers  and  modern  explorers.  America  must  needs 
be  an  island,  seeing  that  we  know  Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa  to  be  an  island,  on  the  authority  of  Homer, 
Strabo,  Pomponius  Mela,  Higinus,  and  Solinus.  But 
we  need  not  rely  on  any  early  authorities,  seeing  that 
we  have  the  evidence  of  later  discoveries.  From  the 
North  Cape  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  the  navigation 
is  continuous,  the  nearest  part  of  the  American  conti- 


1 598.]  AUTHORSHIP.  171 

nent  being  500  leagues  distant.  On  the  other  hand, 
from  the  North  Cape  to  Novaya  Zemlya  there  is 
passable  sailing,  and  the  north  parts  of  Tartary  to 
the  Cape  Tabin  of  Pliny  are  known  to  be  bounded 
by  the  Scythian  Sea.  It  is  apparent,  therefore,  that 
America  must  be  far  removed  from  the  Old  World.  In 
like  manner,  the  south  side,  from  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  by  Sofala,  Mozambique,  Arabia,  India,  Malacca, 
and  China  to  Cape  Tabin,  the  coasts  are  all  bounded  by 
a  great  ocean.  From  California  to  the  Philippines  the 
distance  is  2100  leagues,  so  that  it  is  clearly  manifest 
that  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa  form  an  island  far  distant 
from  America. 

These  premises,  as  Davis  next  proceeded  to  show,  had 
been  established  by  the  attempts  of  explorers.  Sir 
Hugh  Willoughby,  Stephen  Borough,  and  Anthony  Jen- 
kinson  made  voyages  to  the  north-east  which  proved 
that  the  north  parts  of  Europe  were  not  joined  to  any 
other  continent.  The  voyages  of  the  Portuguese  and 
Spaniards  show  that  America  is  far  from  India  and  the 
other  southern  coasts  of  Asia.  It  is  true  that  the 
Spaniards  take  pains  to  conceal  their  knowledge,  but 
they  trade  from  Mexico  to  China  and  Japan,  and  they 
have  information  that  the  east  coast  of  Asia  lies  due 
north  and  south  as  high  as  Cape  Tabin,  where  the 
Scythian  Sea  and  the  main  ocean  of  China  are  con- 
joined. 

Davis  then  turns  with  pride  to  the  achievements  of 
his  own  countiymen.  "  John  Hawkins,"  he  says, 
"  was  the  first  to  attempt  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies, 
for  before  he  made  the  attempt  it  was  a  matter  doubtful, 
and  reported  the  extremest  limit  of  danger,  to  sail  upon 
those  coasts.     So  that  it  was  generally  in  dread  among 


172  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1594. 

us,  such  is  the  slowness  of  our  nation,  for  the  most  part 
of  us  rather  joy  at  home  like  epicures,  to  sit  and  carp 
at  other  men's  hazard,  ourselves  not  daring  to  give 
any  attempt.  How  then  may  Sir  John  Hawkins  be 
esteemed,  who  being  a  man  of  good  account  in  his 
country,  of  wealth  and  great  employment,  did  notwith- 
standing, for  the  good  of  his  country  to  procure  trade, 
give  that  notable  and  resolute  attempt.  Whose  steps 
many  hundreds  following  since,  have  made  themselves 
men  of  good  esteem,  and  fit  for  the  service  of  Her 
sacred  Majesty.  .  .  .  Then  succeeded  Sir  Francis 
Drake  in  his  famous  and  ever-renowned  voyage  round 
the  world,  who  passed  the  dangers  of  the  Straits  of 
Magellan,  coasted  all  the  west  coast  of  America  to  48° 
N.,  and  found  that  the  Moluccas  were  200  leagues  from 
the  American  continent." 

Davis  then  turns  to  the  evidence  derivable  from  his 
own  Arctic  voyages.  "  There  resteth  only  the  north 
parts  of  America,  upon  which  coast  myself  have  had 
most  experience  of  any  in  our  age ;  for  thrice  I  was 
that  way  employed,  for  the  discovery  of  this  notable 
passage.  But  when  his  Honour  (Sir  Francis  Walsing- 
ham)  died,  the  voyage  was  friendless,  and  men's  minds 
alienated  from  adventuring  therein."  He  proceeds  to 
describe  the  results  of  his  three  Arctic  voyages,  and 
concludes  his  review  with  the  expression  of  a  decided 
opinion  that  the  passage  was  to  be  found  northwards 
from  Hope  Sanderson.  "But,"  he  adds,  "by  reason  of 
the  Spanish  fleet  and  unfortunate  time  of  Mr.  Secre- 
tary's death,  the  voyage  was  omitted  and  never  sithins 
attempted."  The  interesting  digression  in  which  Davis 
explains  the  objects  and  results  of  his  own  voyages  was 
made  to  stay  the  cavils  of  those  who  might  say,  "  Why 


1598.]  AUTHORSHIP.  173 

hath  not  Davis  discovered  the  passage,  being  thrice  that 
ways  employed  ? " 

Having  established  the  fact  of  the  insularity  of 
America,  and  of  the  consequent  existence  of  a  North- 
Vv'^est  Passage,  Davis  proceeds  to  deal  with  the  objections 
based  on  the  physical  condition  of  the  country.  Those 
who  sail  from  the  North  Cape  to  St.  Nicholas  in  the 
White  Sea,  find  that  the  seas  are  free  from  the  pester 
of  ice ;  the  farther  from  the  shore  the  clearer  from  ice. 
He  did  not  deny  that  he  had  himself  seen  in  some  parts 
of  those  seas  two  sorts  of  ice  in  great  quantity — icebergs 
breaking  off  from  the  glacier,  and  flake-ice  bordering 
close  on  the  shore.  But  he  had  found  navigation  free 
from  ice  up  to  72°  N.,  and  he  maintained  that  the  open, 
sea  was  never  frozen  over. 

With  regard  to  the  intense  cold,  he  appeals  to  the 
facts  that  the  people  of  Lapland  and  Russia  travel  in 
mid-winter  in  sledges  over  the  snow,  having  the  use  of 
reindeer  to  draw  them;  that  in  Greenland  the  country 
is  inhabited  by  people  of  tractable  conditions,  and  by 
divers  kinds  of  birds  and  beasts,  while  in  summer  there 
are  such  quantities  of  mosquitos  that  he  and  his  people 
were  stung  by  them,  and  unable  to  have  quiet  while 
they  were  on  shore ;  and  that  Iceland  is  also  inhabited. 

He  puts  forward  the  opinion  that  the  pole  is  the 
place  of  greatest  dignity  on  this  earth,  by  reason  of  the 
long  presence  of  the  sun,  and  a  place  most  worthy  to 
be  discovered.  The  author  of  the  *'  Seaman's  Secrets  " 
easily  disposes  of  the  objection  based  on  want  of 
astronomical  knowledge  on  the  part  of  his  brother 
sailors,  and  he  enumerates  some  of  the  advantages  to 
be  derived  from  polar  exploration. 

Davis  tells  the  Lords  of  the  Council  that  he  is  always 


174 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS. 


[1594- 


>e^ 


-5     ^ti"v"-^^   '^l   1 


all  8 


XM 


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'\.^    ^ 


'V^^, 


i;:^\H 


i\-> 


i 


1598.]  AUTHORSHIP.  175 

ready  "  with  his  person  and  his  poor  ability  "  to  under- 
take the  service  whensoever  he  may  be  called  upon,  and 
he  concludes  with  an  eloquent  and  enthusiastic  appeal 
in  favour  of  his  project.  "All  the  premises  considered, 
there  remaineth  no  more  doubting  but  that  there  is  a 
passage  by  the  north-west,  of  God  for  us  alone  ordained 
to  our  infinite  happiness,  and  for  the  glory  of  Her 
Majesty.  Then  will  her  stately  seat  of  London  be  the 
storehouse  of  Europe,  the  nurse  of  the  world,  and  the  re- 
nown of  nations ;  and  all  this  by  reason  of  the  excellent 
commodity  of  her  position,  the  mightiness  of  her  trade 
by  force  of  shipping  thereby  arising,  and  most  abundant 


DAVIS'S  AUTOGRAPH. 

access  and  intercourse  from  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world.  Then  shall  the  idle  hand  be  scorned,  and  plenty 
by  industry  in  all  this  land  shall  be  proclaimed.  There- 
fore the  passage  proved  and  the  benefits  to  all  most 
apparent,  let  us  no  longer  neglect  our  happiness,  but 
like  Christians,  with  willing  and  voluntary  spirits,  labour 
without  fainting  for  this  so  excellent  a  benefit." 

For  a  time  the  gallant  sailor  entertained  a  hope  that 
his  stirring  appeal  would  not  be  without  effect  upon  the 
minds  of  the  Lords  of  the  Council.  He  thought  that 
his  clarion  blast  would  revive  the  spirit  of  enterpiise, 
and  rouse  men  from  their  lethai'gy.      Once  more  he 


176  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1594. 

fancied  himself  sailing  out  of  that  lovely  harbour  of 
Dartmouth,  and  steering  towards  his  beloved  polar  seas 
with  the  cry  of  "  Northward  ho  !  "  Once  more  his  pulse 
beat  high  with  enthusiasm,  and  all  the  hopes  of  his 
youth  were  renewed.  But  the  time  slipped  past,  and 
no  favourable  reply  arrived.  Slowly  and  unwillingly 
he  told  himself  that  the  prize  was  not  for  him.  He 
had  worked  hard,  he  had  nobly  borne  the  heat  and 
burden  of  the  day.  But  the  fruition  was  for  other 
men,  for  later  generations.  Yet  there  was  work  for 
him  to  do  elsewhere.  He  could  no  longer  remain  idle, 
and  before  the  year  1595  was  ended  it  would  appear 
that  John  Davis  was  again  at  sea. 

During  the  following  two  years  there  is  nothing  from 
the  great  seaman's  own  hand,  and  only  faint  though 
tolerably  certain  indications  of  the  services  on  which 
he  was  employed.  He  received  command  of  a  ship 
belonging  to  Mr.  Honeyman,  a  merchant  of  London, 
who  traded  with  Rochelle  and  the  south  of  France,  and 
often  supi)lied  Mr.  Secretaiy  Cecil  vv'ith  valuable  infor- 
mation. Davis's  vessel  was  captured  by  some  French 
ships  of  the  League  sent  out  of  the  ports  of  Brittany 
l;y  the  Due  de  ]\Iercceur ;  but  they  only  took  the  cargo, 
allowing  the  ship  and  crew  to  go  free.  On  his  return 
from  this  unlucky  venture,  he  found  the  English  ports 
busy  with  preparation  :  for  the  Queen  had  resolved  to 
carry  the  war  into  the  enemy's  territory  and  to  attack 
the  important  city  of  Cadiz. 

Davis  had  many  old  friends  in  the  fleet  destined  for 
the  service  of  delivering  a  crushing  blow  to  Spanish 
commerce.  His  old  admiral  of  the  Armada  days 
commanded  the  fleet  in  the  same  stout  ship,  the  Arh 
Royal,  and  ho  naturally  took  ■\^■ith  him  his  nephew,  Lord 


1598.]  AUTHORSHIP.  177 

Thomas  Howard,  in  the  Mere- Honour,  and  his  sou -in -law, 
Sir  Robert  Southwell,  in  the  Lio?i ;  while  the  gallant  Sir 
Ames  Preston,  who  had  served  with  Davis  in  the  Azores 
under  the  Earl  of  Cumberland,  was  flag-captain.  The 
chivalrous  young  Earl  of  Essex  commanded  the  land 
forces,  with  Sir  Francis  Vere  as  his  marshal  and  chief 
adviser.  Essex  was  on  board  the  Repulse,  with  Sir 
William  Monson  as  his  captain,  and  Vere  was  in  the 
Rainhow.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  was  rear-admiral  in  the 
Warspite,  and  for  him  were  all  the  naval  glories  of  the 
campaign ;  while  Essex  and  Vere  shared  the  credit 
of  capturing  Cadiz  with  the  land  forces.  Leaving 
Plymouth  on  the  ist  of  June  1596,  the  operations'  of 
this  well-planned  and  successful  expedition  were  com- 
pleted by  the  5th  of  July,  and  the  fleet  returned  on  the 
8th  of  August.  In  the  following  year  the  expedition  to 
the  Azores  was  dispatched,  under  the  command  of  the 
Earl  of  Essex,  which  is  known  in  history  as  the  "Inland 
Voyage."  This  time  Essex  was  again  on  board  the 
Repulse,  with  Middleton  as  his  flag-captain,  the  same 
ofl[icer  who  had  cruised  with  Davis  in  1590,  and  who 
had  brought  the  news  of  the  approach  of  the  Spanish 
fleet  to  the  heroic  Grenville  in  1591.  Raleigh  again 
commanded  the  Warspite.  Sir  Ames  Preston  was  with 
Lord  Mountjoy  in  the  Defiance.  Vere  was  in  the 
Mary  Rose,  with  Winter,  the  companion  of  Drake  and 
discoverer  of  Winter's  bark  in  Magellan's  Straits,  as  his 
captain.  Monson  commanded  a  ship  of  his  own,  the 
liainhoio.  The  Moon  was  commanded  by  Sir  Edward 
•Michelborne,  a  brave  seaman,  whose  name  is  connected 
with  the  last  days  of  John  Davis.  Sailing  from  Ply- 
mouth in  August   1597,  this '  expedition  cruised  among 

M 


173  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1594-98 

the  Azores;,   foi-  which  islands  Davis   was    an  excellent 
pilot,  and  returned  in  November. 

It  is  certain  that  Davi.s  served  under  Essex  in  one  or 
both  of  these  expeditions ;  for  in  a  letter  to  the  Earl 
written  after  his  return  from  India,  he  says  that  he 
ordered  his  men  "  after  that  excellent  method  which  we 
have  seen  in  your  Lordship's  most  honourable  actions." 
Collateral  evidence  is  also  furnished  by  Sir  William 
Monson  in  his  "Naval  Tracts,"  who  says  that  he  often 
had  conversations  with  Davis  during  these  expeditions; 
and  immediately  afterwards  we  find  Davis  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Earl  of  Essex.  In  all  probability  he 
was  pilot  of  the  Repulse  at  Cadiz  and  in  the  Azores. 
The  expedition  to  the  Azores  retui-ned  in  November 
1597,  at  the  very  time  when  the  Zeelanders  were 
fitting  out  an  expedition  for  the  East  Indies.  The 
voyage  of  Lancaster  had  drawn  the  attention  of  Eng- 
lish statesmen  to  the  East,  and  it  was  considered  very 
important  that  further  information  should  be  obtained 
respecting  the  various  routes  and  centres  of  commerce. 
The  Earl  of  Essex,  therefore,  suggested  to  Davis  that  if 
he  could  arrange  to  accompany  the  Dutch  expedition  to 
India,  he  would  have  an  opportunity  of  doing  good  and 
acceptable  service  to  his  Que.en  and  country.  Particulars 
respecting  the  equipment  of  ships  destined  for  India 
by  a  wealthy  mercantile  house  in  Zeeland  had  been 
reported  hj  Sir  Francis  Vere. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE  DUTCH  VOYAGE. 

The  quaint  little  town  of  Veere  is  built  along  the  banks 
of  a  canal  which  runs  through  the  island  of  Walcheren 
in  Zeeland.  At  the  south  entrance  of  tliis  canal  is  the 
port  of  Flushing,  then  (in  1598)  in  the  hands  of  an 
English  garrison  under  the  command  of  Sir  Robert 
Sydney  as  a  cautionary  town.  Half-way  down  the 
canal  is  Middelburg,  the  capital  of  Zeeland,  with  its 
stately  town  hall,  containing  niches  with  statues  of  the 
Counts  of  Holland,  and  its  vast  monastery,  with  hall 
and  cloisters,  converted  to  secular  purposes.  Hard  by 
the  cloister  gate  stood  the  house  of  Zacharias  Jansen, 
who  constructed  the  fir.st  telescope  in  1608.  At  the 
north  end  of  the  canal  was  the  thriving  port  of  Veere, 
famous  in  English  histoi-y  as  the  place  where  our  King 
Edward  IV,  embarked  on  his  triumphal  return  in  1470. 
Now  Veere  is  a  forlorn  little  town,  with  grass-grown 
streets,  and  many  houses  for  sale.  But  the  scene  was 
very  different  in  the  sixteenth  century.  The  canal, 
opening  on  the  "  Room-pot  "  or  *'cream-jng,"  as  the  sea 
was  called  between  the  islands  of  Walcheren  and 
Scbouwen,  was  crowded  -with  shipping.  The  quay  was 
busy  with  the  working  of  cranes  and  windlasses,  and 
the  carrying  to  and  fro   of  merchandise.     The  houses, 


ISO  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1598. 

with  their  curiously  carved  gables,  were  inhabited  by 
wealthy  merchants.  High  above  them  rose  the  great 
church  and  the  handsome  town  hall,  rich  in  pictures  and 
valuable  plate.  Here  is  the  exquisitely  chased  silver 
flagon  representing  the  passage  of  the  Rhine  by  Maxi- 
milian of  Burgundy ;  and  the  walls  are  hung  with  curious 
representations  of  sea-fights  between  Hooks  and  Kabel- 
jaws,  which  took  place  in  sight  of  the  port  of  Yeere. 

A  rapid  and  marvellous  change  had  come  over  the 
face  of  this  island  of  Walcheren.  Only  a  quarter  of  a 
century  before  1598,  when  Davis  landed  on  its  shores, 
the  country  was  in  the  hands  of  a  cruel  enemy,  the 
fields  were  devastated,  and  Middelburg  was  held  by  a 
Spanish  garrison.  In  1572  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  the 
neighbour  and  early  companion  of  John  Davis,  had 
landed  with  a  feeble  force  of  inexperienced  recruits  to 
help  the  Dutch  patriots  against  the  matchless  infantry 
of  Spain.  It  was  a  life  and  death  struggle  for  many 
years,  but  the  right  prevailed  at  last.  In  1598  there 
was  no  longer  any  danger  from  the  terrible  enemy  of 
liberty.  He  was  gone  like  an  evil  dream.  Peace  and 
prosperity  reigned  in  Walcheren.  Flushing  was 
occupied  by  friendly  allies.  Middelburg  was  the  busy 
capital  of  a  free  State.  Veere  was  a  thriving  seaport. 
Not  a  little  of  this  prosperity  was  due  to  the  short- 
sighted bigotry  of  the  Spaniards.  Their  Inquisition  had 
obliged  large  numbers  of  the  most  active  and  industrious 
citizens  of  Antwerp  and  other  cities  of  Flanders  to 
take  refuge  with  their  free  neighbours,  and  these  exiles 
gave  an  additional  impulse  to  the  commercial  enterprise 
of  the  Dutch. 

Balthazar  de  Moucheron  was  one  of  the  most  illus- 
trious of  the  Antwerp  fugitives.     He  established  a  great 


i6oi.]  THE  DUTCH  VOYAGE.  181 

commercial  house  at  Middelburg,  whence  he  removed  to 
Veere  in  1597.  It  is  very  striking,  and  proves  what 
a  stimulating  effect  the  love  of  liberty  has  on  a  people 
under  its  influence,  that  the  Dutch  should  have  pushed 
forward  voyages  of  discovery  and  commercial  enter- 
prise at  the  very  time  that  they  were  grappling  with 
Spain  in  a  struggle  for  bare  life.  But  so  it  was. 
Moucheron  opened  a  ti-ade  with  Russia,  and  sent  his 
brother  Melchior  to  reside  on  the  river  Dvina  and 
form  a  commercial  establishment  in  the  White  Sea. 
Melchior  is  said  to  have  been  the  founder  of  Archangel. 
The  attention  of  the  Dutch  merchants  was  turned  to  the 
possibility  of  opening  a  direct  trade  with  India  and  the 
Spice  Islands  by  the  reports  of  Linschoten,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  the  great  merchant  prince  of  Veere 
took  the  lead  in  those  new  ventures. 

Jan  Huygen  van  Linschoten  was  born  at  Haarlem  in 
1563,  but  his  parents  moved  to  Enkhuizen  on  the 
Zuyder  Zee  when  he  was  a  child,  and  he  was  brought 
up  there.  Of  a  roving  disposition,  young  Linschoten 
joined  his  brothers,  who  were  engaged  in  commercial 
pursuits  in  Spain,  and  he  went  thence  to  Lisbon,  where 
be  was  allowed  to  embark  on  board  a  fleet  which  was 
taking  out  a  new  Archbishop  to  Goa  in  1583.  He 
remained  in  India  for  five  years,  chiefly  at  Goa,  where 
he  diligently  collected  information.  On  his  way  home, 
he  was  at  the  Azores  when  Sir  Richard  Grenville  in  the 
Revenge  fought  the  whole  Spanish  fleet,  and  his  nar- 
rative usefully  supplements  the  report  of  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh.  Returning  home  in  1592,  Linschoten  pro- 
ceeded to  give  his  countrymen  the  valuable  results  of 
his  travels.  His  "Nautical  Directory"  appeared  in 
1595,  and  his  "Itineraris"  in  the  following  year.     The 


1S2  1.IFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1598. 

merchants  of  Amsterdam  were  incited  by  the  infor- 
mation of  Linscliotcn  to  attempt  voyages  to  the  Eubt 
by  two  different  routes,  even  before  his  books  were 
published.  An  expedition  was  sent  by  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  in  1594  to  make  a  voyage  to  the  East 
Indies,  under  the  command  of  Cornelis  de  Iloutman ; 
but  it  returned  without  any  very  lucrative  result,  and 
the  Amsterdam  merchants  were  not  particularly  satis- 
lied  with  the  way  in  which  it  had  been  conducted.  In 
the  same  year  the  first  of  three  memorable  attempts 
was  made  by  the  Dutch  to  discover  a  route  to  China  and 
the  Indies  by  the  north-east.  The  expedition  consisted 
of  three  vessels,  the  Sn-an  of  Yeere,  the  Mercury  of 
Enkhuysen,  with  Linschoten  on  board  as  supercargo, 
and  another  Mercunj  of  Amsterdam,  commanded  by 
William  Barents,  the  most  illustrious  of  Dutch  Arctic 
navigators.  While  Linschoten  examined  the  ice  in  the 
Kara  Sea,  Barents  discovered  the  whole  of  the  west 
coast  of  Novaj'a  Zemlya,  struggling  pei-sistently  with 
the  ice,  constantly  observing .  for  latitude  and  variation, 
and  making  an  accurate  survey.  The  ships  returned  in 
September,  and  Linschoten  made  such  an  encouraging 
report  that  the  Dutch  merchants  resolved  to  send  out  a 
fleet  of  several  vessels  in  the  ensuing  year  to  achieve 
the  North-East  Passage.  Two  vessels  were  fitted  out  in 
Zeeland  under  the  auspices  of  the  house  of  Moucheron, 
the  Griffin  and  Swan.  Enkhuysen  furnished  two  ships, 
and  Amsterdam  sent  the  Greijhound  under  Barents  as 
chief  pilot.  But  they  were  unable  to  get  through  the 
ice  in  the  Waigat,  and  returned  unsuccessful. 

The  efforts  of  Barents  and  of  the  eminent  geographer 
Plancius  induced  the  Amsterdam  merchants  to  make 
one  more  attempt,      Barents  sailed  in  May  1596,  dis- 


i6oi.]  THE  DUTCH  VOYAGE.  183 

covered  the  north-western  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  rounded 
the  northern  extremity  of  Novaya  Zemlya,  and  passed 
his  memorable  winter  in  the  haven  on  the  north-eastern 
coast.  The  ship  was  abandoned,  and  the  crew  escaped 
in  boats,  Barents  himself  dying  in  the  midst  of  his 
discoveiies.  The  survivors  reached  Amsterdam  in  No- 
vember 1597,  and  the  Arctic  attempts  of  the  Dutch  came 
to  an  end,  although  in  the  succeeding  century  th^ir 
whalers  did  much  to  complete  the  discovery  of  the 
Spitzbergen  coasts. 

Linschoten  continued  to  live  at  Enkhuysen,  in  the 
society  of  accomplished  geographers  and  seamen,  chief 
among  whom  was  his  neighbour  Lucas  Jansz  Wagenaar, 
author  of  the  "  Mariner's  Mirror,"  the  first  marine 
atlas  ever  published.  Four  editions  appeared  between 
1584  and  1596,  and  it  was  translated  into  English  by 
Anthony  Ashley  in  1588.  The  fourth  edition  contains 
a  chart  of  Norway  by  Barents,  and  observations  on  his 
expeditions  to  the  north.  While  his  friend  Wagenaar 
was  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  valuable  charts, 
Linschoten  supervised  the  publication  of  his  eastern 
travels,  and  translated  the  valuable  history  of  the 
Western  Indies  by  Acosta  from  Spanish  into  Dutch. 
Linschoten  died  at  Enkhuysen  at  the  age  of  forty-eight, 
in  161 1.  His  "Itinerario"  had  been  published  in  Eng- 
lish in  1598. 

It  was  the  valuable  and  detailed  information  col- 
lected by  Linschoten  which  induced  Balthazar  de  Mou- 
cheron  to  turn  his  attention  to  the  East  Indies,  and  on 
the  failure  of  the  three  attempts  of  the  Dutch  under 
Bai'ents  to  discover  a  passage  by  the  north-east,  he 
resolved  to  dispatch  an  expedition  by  way  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.     He  informed  the  States-General  of  his 


1S4  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1598. 

intention,  and  requested  that  his  ships  mi^ht  be  sup- 
pHe  I  with  guns  and  ammunition.  Every  encourage- 
ment was  given  to  him,  and  an  order  was  issued  that  an 
armament  from  the  Zeeland  arsenal  should  be  furnished 
to  his  ships.  The  news  of  his  undertaking  was  received 
with  interest  in  Holland  and  in  England.  Sir  Fi-ancis 
Vere,  the  general  in  command  of  the  English  troops  in 
the  Low  Countries,  reported  the  details  to  the  Queen's 
Government.  It  was  probably  in  consequence  of  this 
report  that  the  E;ii-1  of  Essex  suggested  to  Davis  that 
lie  should  accompany  the  expedition.  Two  ships  were 
fitted  out  at  Middelburg,  De  Lcenw  (the  Lion)  and  Z)e 
Leniwhi  (the  Lioness),  the  former  commanded  by  Cor- 
nelius de  Houtman,  who  had  charge  of  the  Amsterdam 
voyage  to  India  in  1595,  and  the  latter  by  his  brother, 
Frederik  de  Houtman.  Cornelius  de  Houtman  was 
the  Baas  or  commander-in-chief,  with  Pieter  Stockman 
as  captain,  and  Guyon  Lefort  as  treasurer  of  the  Lion. 

In  the  winter  of  1598  John  Davis  came  over  to 
Walcheren  to  offer  his  services  to  the  merchant-prince 
of  A^eere.  The  friend  of  Ealeigh,  of  Walsingham,  and  of 
Essex  would  have  been  welcomed  by  many  friends.  The 
governor  of  Flushing  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Walsing- 
ham's  daughter;  and  young  Arthur  Handolph,  a  captain 
in  Vere's  army,  and  son  of  Walsingham's  intimate  friend 
and  relative,  was  married  to  tlie  daughter  of  Jacques 
Gellert,  the  wealthy  burgomaster  of  Flushing.  Through 
these  friends  Davis  would  have  had  no  difficulty  in 
making  the  acquaintance  of  the  leading  merchants  of 
Middelburg  and  Veere.  But  their  assistance  would  have 
been  superfluous.  The  fame  of  Johii  Davis  as  a  dis- 
coverer and  as  a  scientific  seaman  had  spread  to  Holland. 
Ho  needed  no  introduction  when  he  presented  himself 


l6oi.]  THE  DUTCH  VOYAGE.  185 

at  the  house  of  Balthazar  Moucheron  at  Veere.  The 
oflFer  of  his  services  was  readily  accepted,  and  he  \yas 
appointed  chief  pilot  of  the  expedition  on  board  the 
Lion.  A  few  other  Englishmen  joined,  including  a 
Mr.  Hopkins,  who  was  an  acceptable  messmate  to  (lie 
chief  pilot,  a  countryman  and  friend  in  the  midst  cf 
jealous  and  suspicious  foreigners. 

The  Lion  and  Lioness  sailed  from  Flushing  on  the 
15th  of  March  1598.  The  Lion  was  400  tons,  with  a 
crew  of  123  persons,  and  the  Lioness  250  tons,  with  100 
souls  on  board.  Houtman  had  the  title  of  General, 
with  a  commission  from  Prince  Maurice  of  Orange, 
but  he  was  usually  called  the  Baas.  The  two  ships 
were  at  anchor  in  Tor  Bay  for  more  than  a  fortnight, 
and  Davis  had  the  opportunity  of  paying  a  last  visit  to 
his  little  boys  at  Sandridge.  On  the  7th  of  April  the 
wind  was  at  last  fair,  and  the  Lion  and  Lioness  made 
sail,  sighting  Poi-to  Santo  on  the  20th,  Palma  on  the 
23rd,  and  anchoring  at  St.  Nicholas,  one  of  the  Cape 
Verds,  on  the  30th. 

After  watering  at  St.  Nicholas,  the  long  voyage  across 
the  equator  was  commenced — a  voyage  of  which  Davis 
had  already  had  experience — and  the  coast  of  Brazil 
was  sighted  on  the  9th  of  June ;  but  refreshment  was 
obtained  at  the  lonely  island  of  Fernando  Noronha.  This 
solitary  spot  in  the  South  Atlantic  had  already  been 
occupied  by  the  Portuguese.  Davis  found  that  it  was 
inhabited  by  twelve  negro  slaves,  who  had  been  left  there 
to  cultivate  Indian-corn.  They  had  not  been  visited  by 
a  ship  for  three  years,  but  were  well  off,  the  island 
abounding  in  pigs  and  poultry,  goats  and  cattle.  There 
was  plenty  of  fish  in  the  surrounding  ocean  and  mul- 
titudes cf  se.'i  liiids. 


186  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1598. 

Leaving  Fernnndo  Noronha  on  the  2  6ti\  of  July,  the 
two  ships  doubled  Cape  San  Agustin  on  the  Brazilian 
coast,  and  passed  the  Abrolhos  rocks  in  17°  S.,  and 
forty  miles  from  the  coast,  about  which  Davis  felt  some 
anxiety.  In  celebration  of  the  event,  the  Dutch  com- 
mander indulged  in  and  permitted  disorderly  festivities 
of  which  the  honest  English  pilot  highly  disappi'oved. 
The  Baas  chose  a  master  of  misrule,  who  was  called  the 
"  Kaiser,"  and  passed  three  days  in  drunken  orgies. 
"After  dinner  the  Baas  could  neither  salute  his  friends 
nor  understand  the  laws  of  reason,  and  those  that  ought 
to  have  been  most  respectable  were  both  lawless  and 
witless."  Having  recovered  from  the  effects  of  their 
drunken  bout,  a  course  was  shaped  for  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and  on  the  nth  of  November  the  Lion 
and  Lioness  were  anchored  in  Saldanha  Bay,  the 
modern  Table  Bay.  The  Saldanha  Bay  of  modern  geo- 
graphers, on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  and  about  fifty 
miles  to  the  northward  of  the  present  Cape  Town,  is  a 
misnomer. 

The  conduct  of  the  Dutch  officers  and  crew  was  very 
different  from  anything  that  Captain  Davis  had  been 
accustomed  to  on  board  the  ships  he  had  commanded. 
The  discipline  was  lax,  and  there  was  a  want  of  order 
and  system.  Houtman  appears  to  have  been  an  un- 
fortunate selection,  and  his  intemperate  habits  did  not 
conduce  to  subordination  among  his  men.  The  Caffres 
at  Table  Bay  brought  oxen  and  sheep  to  exchange  for 
old  iron.  Davis  observed  the  appearance  and  habits  of 
these  Caffres  with  care  and  attention.  He  describes 
them  as  a  strong  and  active  race,  with  olive-black  skins 
and  curly  heads ;  speaking  a  language  of  most  peculiar 
sound.     An  idea  of  the  pronunciation  could  not  be  con- 


i6oi.]  THE  DUTCH  VOYAGE.  187 

veyed  better  than  in  the  words  of  Davis.  He  says, 
"  In  speaking  they  cluck  with  the  tongue  like  a  brood- 
hen,  which  clucking  and  the  word  are  pronounced 
together  very  strongly."  He  understood  them  to  be 
subjects  of  the  King  of  Monomotapa,  a  region  behind 
the  seaboard  of  Mozambique. 

It  was  not  long  before  misunderstandings  arose 
between  the  insubordinate  Dutcli  seamen  and  the 
natives.  Having  received  some  rough  usage,  the  Caff  res 
departed,  and  for  three  days  there  were  fires  blazing  on 
tlie  surrounding  hills.  They  then  came  back  and  began 
bartering  their  cattle,  but  they  were  only  watching  an 
opportunity  for  retaliation.  They  suddenly  attacked 
the  Europeans,  and  killed  thirteen  with  their  darts  at 
close  quarters.  The  Dutchmen  fell  into  a  panic,  threw 
away  their  arms,  and  ran  to  the  shore.  Houtman 
prudently  remained  on  board.  He  sent  corslets,  mus- 
kets, swords,  and  pikes  to  the  men  on  shore,  but  no 
one  to  lead  them.  They  remained  at  their  tents  with- 
out taking  the  offensive,  and  were  surrounded  by  the 
Caffres  and  their  cows.  "  We  were  in  muster  giants 
with  great  armed  bodies,"  says  Davis,  "  but  in  action 
babes  with  wren's  hearts."  Then  the  English  pilot, 
with  his  mate  Hopkins,  came  forward,  and  undertook  to 
marslial  them  and  lead  them  against  the  enemy.  But 
although  some  consented,  several  ran  to  the  pottage-pot, 
swearing  it  was  dinner-time,  and  at  night  they  all  went 
on  board.  The  great  mastiff  belonging  io  the  Baas 
was  left  behind.  "  He  by  no  means  would  come  to  us, 
for  I  think  he  was  ashamed  of  our  company." 

The  year  was  coming  to  a  close  before  the  expedition 
rounded  the  Cape,  and  on  the  3rd  of  February  1599  the 
two  ships  anchored  in  the  Buy  of  St.  Augustine,  on  the 


188  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1598. 

sonth-west  coast  of  Madagascar.  Houtman  had  visited 
this  place  during  his  first  voyage,  and  had  cruelly  ill- 
treated  the  natives.  The  consequence  was  that  they  all 
fled  into  the  interior,  and  would  have  no  intercourse 
with  the  strangers.  No  supplies  could  be  obtained,  and 
after  a  fortnight  the  Dutchmen  made  sail  for  the  Comoro 
Islands,  naming  the  place  "  Hungry  Bay."  In  the 
Comoro  group  they  were  more  fortunate,  and  obtained 
fresh  provisions  at  the  island  of  Mayotta,  where  they 
anchored.  All  the  care  of  Davis  was  required  for  the 
eastern  navigation  from  the  Seychelles.  After  visiting 
Mayotta  and  Johanna  in  the  Comoro  group,  he  navi- 
gated the  ships  past  the  Amirante  shoals  to  the  Mal- 
dives, where  they  again  anchored,  and  obtained  a  native 
pilot  who  took  them  through  the  difficult  channel 
between  the  coral  islands.  Tlience  the  voyage  was  con- 
tinued to  Sumatra,  and  on  the  21st  of  June  the  ships 
were  anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Achen. 

During  the  whole  voyage  Davis  made  hydrographical 
notes  with  great  diligence,  observed  the  appearance, 
manners,  and  customs  of  the  natives;  and  collected  in- 
formation respecting  the  trade  of  each  place,  both  as 
regards  the  exports  and  the  kind  of  goods  that  are 
most  in  demand.  While  his  skill  as  a  pilot  and 
navigator  was  most  acceptable  to  his  employers,  he  was 
acquiring  knowledge  and  experience  which  would  be 
useful  to  his  own  country. 

Achen,  the  most  northern  kingdom  in  the  island  of 
Sumatra,  has  great  historical  interest,  owing  to  its 
having  been  so  much  frequented  by  the  early  Dutch 
and  English  voyagers.  The  name  is  properly  Acheh  ; 
and  Colonel  Yule  suggests  that  we  got  our  foi'm  of  the 
word  from  the  Arabs.     The  Kincj  of  Achen  at  that  time 


i6oi.]  THE  DUTCH  VOYAGE.  189 

was  a  usurper  named  Allah-u-din  Shah,  who  had  mur- 
dered the  former  king,  Mansur  Shah,  and  his  family 
in  1585.  He  is  said  to  have  been  originally  a  fisher- 
man, whose  courage  and  prudence  raised  him  to  tho 
position  of  commander  of  the  forces,  and  he  eventually 
became  King  of  Achen.  He  sent  his  ofiicers  on  board 
the  Lion  and  Lioness  to  measure  their  length  and 
breadth,  and  take  the  number  of  men  and  guns.  Two 
men  were  sent  back  with  them  to  take  presents  on 
shore,  and  they  returned  with  news  that  there  would 
be  peace  and  plenty  of  trade.  In  the  harbour  there 
were  three  small  vessels  from  Arabia,  one  from  Pegu, 
and  a  Portuguese  named  Dom  Alfonso  Vicente,  who  had 
come  from  Malacca  with  four  vessels,  with  the  object 
of  thwarting  the  Dutch  in  their  efforts  to  trade.  The 
Baas  Houtman  was,  however,  received  by  the  King  in 
a  friendly  manner,  and  presented  with  a  kris  of  honour. 
He  came  back  with  a  cargo  of  pepper  in  his  boat,  and 
boasted  loudly  of  his  influence  with  the  King.  The 
Dutch  merchants  then  landed  with  their  goods,  and  the 
King  proposed  that  if  Houtman  would  help  him  in  his 
war  against  Johore,  he  would  give  him  a  lading  of 
pepper  in  return. 

Houtman  had  shown  a  foolish  jealousy  of  the  English- 
men who  were  serving  in  his  ship.  The  native  officers 
had  reported  to  the  King  that  there  were  some  men  on 
board  who  appeared  to  be  different  from  the  others. 
The  King  rightly  conjectured  that  they  must  be  English, 
and  asked  Houtman  if  he  had  any  Englishmen  on  board. 
At  first  the  Baas  declared  that  there  were  none,  but  on 
being  hard  pressed,  he  admitted  that  the  chief  pilot  and 
a  few  others  were  Englishmen  who  had  been  brought  up 
in  Flanders.     He  would  not  let  Davis  or  Hopkins  go  on 


190  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [159S. 

shore  until  the  King  insisted  upon  seeing  them,  and 
then  he  allowed  them  to  land  very  reluctantly.  On  the 
22nd  of  August  Captain  Davis  had  an  audience  with  the 
Kin"-,  who  was  very  friendly.  Davis  was  robed  in  a 
dress  of  honour,  and  allowed  to  sit  and  feast  with  his 
Majesty,  who  made  him  answer  numerous  questions 
about  England  and  the  great  Queen,  and  about  her  war 
with  the  Spaniards.  In  a  second  interview  Davis  rode 
to  court  on  an  elephant,  and  he  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
meet  a  Chinese  merchant  who  spoke  Spanish,  a  language 
known  to  Davis,  from  whom  he  received  much  valuable 
information  respecting  the  trade  of  China.  This  again 
excited  the  jealousy  of  Houtman,  who  ordered  Davis  to 
return  on  board. 

Great  preparations  were  being  made  for  the  expedition 
against  Johore.  The  harbour  was  full  of  armed  prahus 
and  boats.  On  the  ist  of  September  an  officer  of  rank, 
named  Abdalla,  with  a  secretary,  and  a  party  of  soldiers 
armed  to  the  teeth,  came  on  board  the  ship  with  pro- 
visions and  liquor,  and  made  show  of  friendship.  But 
their  conduct  excited  suspicion  in  the  mind  of  Davis, 
who  advised  the  crew  to  fill  the  tops  with  stones,  secure 
the  gratings,  and  get  tlieir  arms  ready.  Houtman  was 
very  angry  at  this  interference,  and  ordered  his  men  to 
desist  from  their  hostile  preparations;  but  they  refused 
to  obey  his  orders  and  remained  on  the  defensive. 

There  was  indeed  treachery.  The  food  and  liquor 
were  drugged,  and  the  intention  was  to  make  all  the 
Europeans  insensible  or  incapable,  and  then  to  .seize  the 
ships.  Abdalla  and  the  secretary  had  completely  de- 
ceived the  unfortunate  Houtman,  who  became  a  helpless 
prisoner  without  knowing  it.  They  then  sent  for  Davis 
and  Hopkins,  pressed  them  to  partake  of  their  hospi- 


i6oi.]  THE  DUTCH  VOYAGE.  191 

tality,  and  used  all  their  art  to  secure  compliance. 
Suddenly  these  treacherous  Malays  threw  off  the  mask. 
Houtman  was  quickly  murdered  ;  but  Davis,  aided  by 
Hopkins  and  the  Treasurer  Lefort,  secured  the  approach 
to  the  poop  with  gi-eat  presence  of  mind,  and  repiilsed 
the  savage  onslaughts  of  the  enemy.  If  their  defence  of 
the  poop  had  failed,  the  ship  would  have  been  lost,  as 
the  Malays  had  secured  the  cabin  and  the  gun-deck. 
Pieter  Stockman,  the  captain,  and  several  others,  jumped 
overboard  in  despair,  but  eventually  got  back  again. 
The  precaution  of  placing  stones  in  the  tops  was  most 
fortunate,  for  the  Dutch  sent  volleys  among  the  Malays, 
who  were  vigorously  attacked  in  front  by  Davis  and  his 
little  band  from  the  poop.  The  enemy  began  to  give 
ground,  and  the  gallant  pilot  came  down  from  the  poop 
to  follow  up  his  success.  As  Hopkins  jumped  down 
after  him,  he  was  badly  wounded  by  a  Turk  who  rushed 
out  of  the  cabin,  and  they  both  rolled  on  the  deck 
together.  Davis  turned  round  quickly  and  ran  the  Turk 
through  with  his  rapier,  and  Stockman,  the  skipper,  who 
had  scrambled  on  board  again,  thrust  a  pike  down  the 
poor  wretch's  throat.  Meanwhile  a  similar  scene  of 
treachery  had  been  enacted  on  board  the  Lioness.  All  the 
officers  but  Frederik  Houtman  were  murdered.  The 
Lion  then  cut  her  cable,  bore  down  on  her  consort,  and 
recovered  her.  The  Malays  fled,  jumping  overboard 
and  swimming  away.  The  Bang  of  Achen  was  on 
the  beach  watching  the  event,  and  when  he  saw  that 
his  villainous  msa  had  failed,  he  caused  all  the  Euro- 
peans who  were  on  shore,  except  eight,  to  be  mur- 
dered. The  Dutch  loss  amounted  to  sixty-eight  men 
killed,  including  Captain  Stockman,  and  three  boats 
destroyed.     The    two    ships    made    sail    the    same   day, 


192  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1598. 

and  anchored  off  the  town  of  Pedii',  on  the  north  coast 
of  Sumatra. 

Frederik  de  Iloutman,  the  captain  of  the  Lioness, 
although  he  escaped  death,  remained  a  prisoner  at  Achen 
for  two  years,  during  which  time  he  compiled  a  dic- 
tionary of  the  Malay  language,  and  took  sever.al  observa- 
tions of  stars  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  which,  with 
his  dictionary,  were  published  after  his  return  to  Hol- 
land. Three  sealed  letters  were  on  board  the  Li'mi, 
marked  A,  B,  and  C,  which  were  to  be  opened  in 
the  event  of  Iloutman's  death.  In  A,  an  officer  was 
appointed  to  succeed  who  had  been  killed  at  Achen. 
B  named  a  Frenchman,  Guy  Lefort,  who  had  been 
treasurer;  and  he  was  accordingly  accepted  as  Baas  or 
commander  of  the  expedition.  The  letter  marked  C 
was  not  opened. 

From  Pedir  the  two  ships  went  to  Pulo  Lotum,'  in  the 
territory  of  Queda,  on  tlie  west  side  of  the  Malacca 
peninsula,  where  water  and  fresh  provisions  were  obtained. 
Lefort  then  resolved  to  return  to  Achen,  to  obtain  tidings 
of  the  men  who  had  been  left  on  shore,  and  to  rescue 
them  if  possible.  Arriving  in  Achen  Bay  on  the  12th 
of  October,  the  Lion  fired  some  shots  at  a  galley  which 
was  sent  out  to  oppose  her,  but  no  communication 
appears  to  have  been  held  with  the  shore,  and  a  few 
days  afterwards  Lefort  shaped  a  course  to  Tennasserim, 
and  thence  to  the  Nicobar  Islands.  Here  they  obtained 
fruit  and  vegetables,  but  they  were  in  great  want  of 
grain  and  other  provisions  necessary  for  a  long  voyage. 
From  the  Nicobars  they  sailed  for  Ceylon,  and  on  the 
passage  were  so  fortunate  as  to  meet  a  vessel  from 
Negapatam  in  India,  laden  with  rice.  Trade  was 
1  This  is  probably  a  misprint.     It  may  be  Pulo  Buton. 


l6oi.]  THE  DUTCH  VOYAGE.  193 

opened,  the  greater  part  of  the  cargo  of  rice  being  sold 
to  the  Dutchmen,  and  regularly  paid  for.  But  the  Lion 
and  Lioness  were  never  able  to  reach  Ceylon,  and  in 
January  1600  it  was  resolved  to  shape  a  course  home- 
Avards. 

The  two  ships  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  on  the 
26th  of  March,  and  reached  the  island  of  St.  Helena  on 
the  13th  of  April.  They  got  fresh  water  and  fruit,  but 
at  sunset  on  the  second  day  of  their  stay  a  large  Spanish 
caravel  arrived,  and  anchored  a  musket-shot  to  wind- 
ward of  the  Dutchmen.  Her  guns  were  dismounted,  so 
the  LiMi  and  Lioness  kept  up  a  steady  lire  on  her  during 
the  first  part  of  the  night  without  a  single  shot  being 
returned.  By  midnight  the  Spaniards  had  mounted 
some  of  their  guns,  and  began  to  use  theui  with  effect, 
hitting  the  Lion  several  times  and  killing  two  men. 
Lefort  then  thought  it  prudent  to  retreat,  and  the  two 
ships  sailed  from  St.  Helena  on  the  i6th  of  April,  and 
proceeded  to  Ascension,  with  many  sick  men  on  board. 
But  there  they  were  again  disappointed,  finding  nothing 
but  a  fruitless  green  rock,  without  wood  or  water.  Then 
Davis  advised  that  a  course  should  be  shaped  for  Fernando 
Noronha,  the  lonely  island  in  Mid- Atlantic,  which  they 
had  visited  during  the  voyage  out,  and  where  they  knew 
that  fresh  provisions  could  be  obtained.  Refreshment 
was  thus  secured  for  the  sick  and  enfeebled  cr-ew  before 
commencing  the  long  voyage  northwards,  and  on  the 
29th  of  July  1600  the  second  Dutch  voyage  to  the  Enst 
Indies  was  concluded,  the  two  ships  arriving  safely 
at  Middelbnrg. 

There  is  no  narrative  of  this  voyage  in  Dutch,  and 
the  only  one  extant  is  that  written  by  John  Davis  as 
an  enclosure  to  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Earl  of  Essex. 


194  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [159S  1601. 

Davis  describes  the  kingdom  of  Achen,  its  inhabi- 
tants and  commodities,  besides  narrating  the  events 
of  the  voyage.  He  himself  was  a  heavy  loser,  for  all 
his  European  goods  were  seized  before  he  had  received 
any  merchandise  in  exchange  for  them.  A  vein  of 
pleasant  humour  runs  through  his  narrative,  and  he 
even  jokes  over  his  own  losses.  "  I  do  most  grieve  over 
the  losses  of  poor  John  Davis,"  he  says,  "  for  I  may 
conclude  that  although  India  did  not  receive  me  very 
rich,  yet  she  hath  sent  me  away  reasonable  poor." 

The  letter  from  Davis  to  the  Earl  of  Essex  is  dated 
at  Middelburg  on  the  ist  of  August  1600.  The  object 
of  his  voyage  is  here  stated  to  have  been  "  the  discovery 
of  these  eastern  parts  of  the  world,  to  the  service  of  Her 
Majesty  and  the  good  of  our  country."  The  employ- 
ment of  such  a  man  as  Davis  was  a  benefit  to  both 
countries ;  and  there  is  evideqce  that  the  Dutch  mer- 
chants fully  appreciated  his  services.  When  W.  Walker 
translated  the  Dutch  voyage  of  Jacob  Neck  in  i6or,  he 
sent  a  covering  letter  to  Sir  Thomas  Smith,  the  Governor 
of  the  East  India  Company,  in  wliich  he  wrote : — "The 
Dutch  had  special  assistance  in  their  late  navigations 
by  the  means  of  Master  John  Davis  and  other  skilful 
pilots  of  our  nation  ;  and  in  return  the  Dutch  do  in 
ample  manner  requite  us,  acquainting  us  with  their 
voyages,  discoveries,  and  dangers,  both  outward  and 
homeward." 

Davis  returned  exactly  at  the  right  moment.  The 
English  East  India  Company  was  fitting  out  its  first 
fleet,  and  the  services  of  the  illustrious  pilot  would  be 
needed  by  his  own  countrymen. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  FIRST  VOYAGE  OF  THE  EAST  INDIA 
COMPANY. 

Two  important  events  at  the  close  of  the  great 
Queen's  life  were  among  the  most  momentous  in  her 
reign  as  they  affected  future  history — namely,  the 
foundation  of  the  East  India  Company  and  her  noble 
reply  to  the  Commons  on  the  question  of  monopolies. 
Several  circumstances  had  conduced  to  a  determination 
on  the  part  of  the  leading  merchants  of  London  to 
undertake  commercial  voyages  to  India  by  way  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  court  of  the  Emperor  Akbar 
at  Agra  had  been  reached  by  Ralph  Fitch  and  two 
companions,  travelling  by  land,  in  1585;  and  Fitch, 
after  visiting  Bengal,  returned  and  wrote  an  interesting 
narrative,  which  was  published  in  Ilakluyt's  Collection. 
In  1599  Dr.  Thorne,  who  had  long  resided  at  Seville, 
sent  home  a  full  report  on  the  advantages  of  a  trade 
with  India ;  but  the  most  direct  information  was  de- 
rived from  Captain  James  Lancaster.  This  admirable 
seaman  was  a  native  of  Basingstoke,  and  in  his  early 
years  he  had  been  in  Portugal  in  the  capacity  of  a 
soldier,  and  afterwax'ds  of  a  merchant.  In  1591  he 
sailed  on  his  first  voyage  to  India  as  reai'-admiral  of 
the  Edward  Bonaventure,  in  a  fleet  of  three  ships  com- 

19u 


196  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1601. 

manded  by  Captain  Raymond,  an  old  servant  of  Lord 
Howard  of  Effingham,  who  is  mentioned  with  com- 
mendation by  John  Davis  in  his  pi-eface  to  the  "  Sea- 
man's Secrets."  Raymond's  ship  was  lost  with  all 
hands  off  the  Cape,  but  Lancaster  was  more  fortu- 
nate. His  vessel  was  the  first  commanded  by  an 
Englishman  to  round  the  Cape  and  visit  the  Eastern 
islands,  and  Lancaster  brought  back  much  valuable  in- 
formation, although  he  lost  his  ship  in  the  West  Indies, 
and  went  through  many  adventui'es  before  he  reached 
England  again  in  1594.  In  the  following  year  he  com- 
manded a  fleet  of  thre^^  shijis  fitted  out  by  the  merchants 
of  London,  with  which  he  made  a  successful  attack  on 
the  town  of  Pernambuco  in  Brazil. 

From  these  various  sources  the  merchant-princes  of 
London  collected  information  sufficient  to  justify  the 
formation  of  a  company.  The  life  and  soul  of  English 
commercial  enterprise  at  this  time  was  Sir  Thomas 
Smith.  This  enlightened  and  liberal  merchant  in- 
herited an  estate  called  Brooke  Place  in  the  Kentish 
pai'ish  of  Sutton-at-llone  from  his  father,  as  well  as 
considerable  wealth,  which  he  largely  increased.  He 
built  a  house  at  Brooke  Place,  while  his  town-houses 
in  Philpot  Lane  and  in  Gracechurch  Street  were  the 
centres  of  hospitality.  It  was  his  great  merit  to  have 
encouraged  maritime  enterprise  and  discovery  through- 
out a  long  life,  not  mainly  for  the  sake  of  gain,  but  for 
the  honour  of  his  country.  He  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Muscovy  Company,  and  may  be  considered  as  the 
chief  founder  of  the  East  India  Company.  He  strove 
to  promote  the  efficiency  and  welfare  of  seamen,  and 
engaged  Dr.  Hood  to  deliver  lectures  on  navigation  at 
his  house  in  Philpot  Lane. 


l603.]     FIRST  VOYAGE  OF  THE  INDIA  COMPANY.        197 

Under  the  auspices  of  Sir  Thomas  Smith,  the  mer- 
chants of  London  subscribed  ^72,000  with  the  object 
of  establishing  a  direct  trade  with  the  East  Indies,  and 
several  noblemen  joined  in  the  venture.  On  October 
16,  1599,  the  Queen's  gracious  acceptance  of  the  voy- 
age was  announced,  and  preparations  were  energetically 
pushed  forward  all  through  the  autumn.  On  the  10th 
of  December  Captain  James  Lancaster  was  nominated 
general  of  the  fleet,  with  a  commission  of  martial  law 
from  the  Queen ;  and  Captain  Middleton  received  the 
appointment  of  vice-admiral.  On  December  31,  1599, 
the  charter  of  incorporation  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany was  granted,  being  a  privilege  for  fifteen  years  to 
certain  adventurers  for  the  discovery  of  trade  with  the 
East  Indies,  the  list  of  adventurers  being  appended. 
It  is  headed  by  the  name  of  George  Clifford,  Earl  of 
Cumberland,  followed  by  those  of  215  knights,  aldermen, 
and  merchants.  Sir  Thomas  Smith  was  chosen  first 
governor  of  the  Company,  and  there  were  twenty- four 
directors,  including  James  Lancaster  and  John  Middle- 
ton,  the  leaders  of  the  expedition. 

A  ship  of  600  tons  belonging  to  the  Earl  of  Cumber- 
land was  bought  for  ;!{^37oo.  Her  name  was  the  Malice 
Scourge,  which  was  altered  to  that  of  the  Red  Dragon, 
and  she  underwent  a  thorough  refit.  She  was  selected 
as  the  admiral,  and  Captain  Lancaster  was  on  board 
her  with  a  crew  of  202  men.  Captain  Middleton  had 
the  Hector  of  300  tons  with  108  men;  the  Ascension  was 
under  William  Brand,  a  ship  of  260  tons,  with  82  men, 
and  the  Susan  of  240  tons  with  88  men  was  commanded 
by  John  Heywood.  There  was  also  a  store-ship  of  13  tons 
called  the  Gued,  to  accompany  the  fleet  with  additional 
supplies  and  enable  the  ships  to  fill  up  on  the  voyage. 


198  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1601. 

Besides  the  General,  which  was  the  title  given  to 
Lancaster,  there  was  in  each  ship  a  master,  who  was 
responsible  for  the  goods  brought  on  board ;  a  master's 
mate,  who  kept  the  keys  of  the  hatches ;  a  pilot,  who 
navigated  the  ship  from  port  to  port;  a  purser,  a  surgeon, 
and  a  ruramager,  who  superintended  the  stowage  of  tho 
hold.  There  were  also  merchants  to  establish  factories 
in  the  East  and  to  arrange  the  commercial  affaii's  of  the 
Company.  Sir  Thomas  Smith  was  most  careful  in  issu- 
ing regulations  for  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  men, 
and  he  was  well  seconded  by  Captain  Lancaster,  who 
was  a  seaman  of  great  experience,  a  good  organiser  and 
administrator,  and  a  commander  who  sympathised  with 
his  men  while  he  maintained  strict  discipline.  The 
ordinary  provisions  were  bread,  meal,  oatmeal,  salt  beef, 
pickled  beef  and  pork,  peas,  beans,  salt  fish,  beer,  cider, 
and  wine,  with  smaller  allowances  of  cheese,  butter,  oil, 
vinegar,  honey,  and  lice.  Great  attention  was  paid  to 
the  quality  of  the  meat,  the  beasts  being  purchased  alive 
after  inspection,  and  slaughtered  in  the  Company's  yard 
at  Black  wall.  The  ordnance  provided  for  the  ships 
consisted  of  cannon,  demi-cannon  throwing  a  ball  of  36 
pounds,  culvcrins  with  20-pound  and  demi-culverins  Avith 
i2-povTnd  balls.  There  was  a  large  supply  of  small- 
arms,  and  each  ship  was  provided  with  twelve  streamers, 
two  flags,  and  one  ensign.  Nearly  the  whole  sum  sub- 
scribed was  expended  on  the  ships,  and  on  the  mer- 
chandise to  be  exchanged  for  spices  and  other  products 
of  the  East. 

John  Davis  returned  from  his  Dutch  voyage  when, 
the  preparations  for  the  English  expedition  were  well 
advanced  and  all  the  captains  appointed.  But  Sir 
Thomas  Smith  was  anxious  to  secure  his  valuable  ser- 


iCoj.]     rmST  VOYAGE  OF  THE  INDIA  COMPANY. 


199 


vices,  and  he  was  nominated  chief  pilot  of  the  fleet,  to 
embark  on  board  the  Hed  Diri//07i,  His  remuneration 
was  to  be  according  to  results,  and  he  received  a  "  bill 
of  adventure "  upon  the  gains  of  the  voyage.  He  was 
to  receive  ^500  if  the  voyage  yielded  two  for  one,  ;^icoo 
if  three  for  one,  and  ;/"20oo  if  five  for  one.  The  know- 
ledge acquired  by  Davis  while  serving  with  the  Dutch 
Was  a  very  useful  guide  to  the  Directors  in  selecting 


THE  KED  DRAGON. 


their  merchandise  for  the  Eastern  markets,  and  his  recent 
navigation  of  the  Indian  Ocean  enabled  him  to  furnish 
most  valuable  advice. 

On  the  13th  of  February  1601  the  expedition  sailed 
from  Woolwich  for  the  Downs,  the  General  having  been 
supplied  with  letters  from  the  Queen  to  the  King  of 
Achen  aiid  other  Eastern  potentates,  and  with  rich  gifts 
for  them  from  the  Company.  The  ships  were  detained 
by  westerly  winds,  and  it  was  Easter  Day  before  they 


200  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [i6or. 

arrived  in  Tor  Yiay  harbour.  At  lenglh  Davis  was  able 
to  visit  liis  home,  and  to  arrange  about  the  care  of 
his  children  during  his  long  absence.  The  faithless  wife 
appears  to  have  been  dead,  and  a  lady  named  Judith 
Ilavai'd  api)ears  upon  the  scene,  who  kept  house  at 
SandrKlge  and  attended  to  the  education  of  the  mother- 
less children.  A  dark  shadow  now  rested  upon  the  once 
happy  home.  Davis  was  a  struggling  man,  striving  to 
retrieve  his  fortunes.  Unequalled  as  a  navigator  and 
pilot,  with  almost  every  qualification  for  high  command, 
famous  as  a  discoverer  even  in  his  own  generation,  he 
had  not  been  fortunate.  His  home  was  darkened  by 
sorrow,  and  his  ventures  had  been  uniformly  unlucky 
since  his  ill-starred  engagement  with  Cavendish.  But 
now  his  appointment  as  chief  pilot  of  the  first  fleet  sent 
forth  by  the  East  India  Company  opened  a  brighter 
prospect  and  gave  gi^ound  for  renewed  hope. 

On  the  2nd  of  April  1601,  the  wind  being  fair,  the 
fleet  sailed  from  Tor  Bay  and  commenced  that  memor- 
able voyage  which  was  destined  to  be  the  foundation- 
stone  of  the  glorious  edifice  of  British  empire  in  the 
East.  After  obtaining  water  at  Grand  Canary,  the 
ships  were  steered  southerly  until  the  region  of  equatorial 
calms  was  reached,  where  they  were  detained  from  the 
20th  of  May  to  the  12th  of  June.  Then  there  were  light 
breezes,  generally  from  the  south,  and  one  day  a  sail  was 
seen  on  the  horizon.  The  Dragon  immediately  went  in 
chase,  and  captured  the  stranger  by  two  in  the  same 
afternoon.  She  was  a  Portuguese  ship  laden  with  wine, 
oil,  and  grain,  and  her  valuable  cargo  was  a  great  assist- 
ance to  the  English.  Lancaster  divided  it  equally  among 
the  four  ships.  On  the  30th  of  June  they  crossed  the 
equator;   and   for  the  third   time  Davis  rounded   tliat 


i6o3.]    FIRST  VOYAGE  OF  THE  INDIA  COMPANY.       201 

Cape  San  Agustin  on  the  Brazilian  coast,  which  has  so 
prominent  a  place  in  the  history  of  all  the  early  voyages 
to  India.  All  the  stores  were  taken  out  of  the  Guest 
when  the  fleet  was  about  1200  miles  south  of  the  line, 
her  bulwarks  were  broken  down  for  fuel,  and  she  was 
turned  adrift.  It  was  the  9th  of  September  before  the 
welcome  refuge  of  Table  Bay  was  reached,  and  life- 
saving  vegetables  and  fresh  meat  could  be  procured  for 
the  scurvy-stricken  crews. 

This  dreadful  disease,  which  was  so  fatal  to  sailors  who 
undertook  long  voyages  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries,  broke  out  with  exceptional  virulence  among 
the  crews  of  Captain  Lancaster's  fleet,  commencing  when 
the  men  were  exposed  for  weeks  to  the  burning  heat  of 
the  tropics. 

The  Dragon  suffered  least,  for  in  the  other  three  ships 
nearly  all  hands  were  prostrated  by  scurvy.  The  weak- 
ness of  the  men  was  so  great  that  the  merchants  were 
obliged  to  take  their  turns  at  the  helm,  and  go  aloft  to 
lay  out  on  the  yards  and  reef  the  topsails.  The  Dragon 
anchored  first  in  Table  Bay,  and  Captain  Lancaster  sent 
parties  of  men  to  the  other  ships  to  help  them  in  bring- 
ing-to  and  getting  the  boats  out.  The  reason  why  the 
crew  of  the  Dragon  suffered  less  vras  that  Lancaster 
had  taken  the  precaution  of  having  a  supply  of  lime- 
juice  on  board.  So  long  as  it  lasted,  he  gave  three 
spoonfuls  to  each  man  every  morning ;  and  to  this 
specific,  combined  with  closer  attention  to  cleanliness 
and  other  requisites  for  health,  the  comparative  exemp- 
tion of  the  Dragon  was  due. 

As  soon  as  the  ships  were  at  anchor  and  the  boats 
out,  the  General  went  on  shore  to  see  about  arrange- 
ments for  obtaining   supplies  of   fresh   provisions,  and 


202  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [i6or. 

the  CafTres  soon  made  their  appearance  with  their  sheep 
and  oxen.  Davis  had  been  witness  of  the  consequences 
resulting  from  the  ill-usage  of  the  Caffres  by  the  Dutch 
sailors  in  the  previous  voyage.  He  had  warned  Lancaster 
of  what  had  taken  place,  and  that  able  commander  took 
special  precautions  to  prevent  any  misunderstanding  with 
the  natives.  Only  a  few  selected  men  were  allowed  to 
come  near  the  market,  and  no  one  else  was  permitted  to 
intei'fere.  Then  tents  were  made  out  of  the  sails,  and  all 
the  sick  were  landed.  The  disease  had  carried  off  105 
men  before  the  ships  arrived  in  Table  Bay;  but,  with 
the  aid  of  wholesome  food  and  fresh  air,  the  survivors 
rapidly  recovered,  and  when  the  expedition  sailed  they 
were  as  strong  and  well  as  when  they  left  England. 

On  the  29th  of  October  Captain  Lancaster  put  to  sea, 
passing  by  llobben  Island  with  its  seals  and  penguins, 
and  observing  the  peculiar  shape  of  the  Table  Mountain. 
The  passage  northwards  was  rough  and  tedious,  symptoms 
of  scurvy  again  began  to  appear,  and  it  was  thought 
advisable  once  moie  to  seek  for  refreshment  in  some 
haven.  This  was  found  at  St.  Llary's,  a  long  narrow 
island  off  the  east  coast  of  Madagascar,  lying  parallel 
to  the  shore,  and  about  four  miles  fi-om  it.  Here  the 
ships  were  anchored  on  the  i8th  of  December,  and  a 
good  supply  of  oranges  and  lemons  was  obtained  for  the 
sick.  Thence  they  moved  to  the  Bay  of  Antongil  in 
Madagascar,  where  Lancaster  opened  a  market  for 
traffic  with  the  natives,  under  the  same  carefully  thought- 
out  rules  as  he  established  in  Table  Bay,  which  were 
strictly  enforced.  There  was  no  misunderstanding  of 
any  kind,  and  the  English  bought  15  tons  of  rice,  40 
bushels  of  beans,  many  fowls,  8  oxen,  and  a  quantity 
of   oranges,   lemons,  and    bananas.      They   also    put   a 


l6o3.]     FIRST  VOYAGE  OF  THE  INDIA  COMPANY.        203 

pinnace  together,  which  had  been  brought  out  in  pieces. 
There  was,  however,  a  heavy  list  of  deaths  from  sick- 
ness, including  the  chaplain,  surgeon,  master's  mate, 
and  ten  men  of  the  Dragon,  and  the  master  and  two 
men  of  the  Hector.  An  unfoi'tunate  accident  also  hap- 
pened at  the  funeral  of  the  master's  mate.  The  captain 
of  the  Ascension  was  going  on  shore  to  attend  it,  when 
the  gunner  fired  the  usual  salute  from  the  Dragon. 
By  a  sad  mischance  the  guns  had  been  loaded  with 
shot.  The  AsceimovJs  boat  was  struck,  and  the  cap- 
tain and  boatswain  were  both  killed,  meeting  their 
own  deaths  on  their  way  to  attend  the  funeral  of  a 
comrade. 

The  fleet  left  the  Bay  of  Antongil  on  the  6th  of 
March  1602,  and  commenced  the  intricate  navigation 
to  India,  among  the  Coral  li^lands.  Here  the  scientific 
knowledge  and  experience  of  John  Davis  were  invalu- 
able. Steering  northwards,  he  fell  in  with  the  low, 
sandy  island  of  Roquerez  on  the  tenth  day,  a  danger 
the  existence  of  which  is  considered  doubtful  in  modern 
times.  But  our  early  voyagers  could  feel  no  doubt,  for 
they  saw  its  groves  of  coco-nut  trees,  and  there  came  to 
them  such  a  pleasant  smell  from  the  land  that  they  were 
reminded  of  a  garden  of  flowers.  On  the  1 3th  they 
came  upon  ledges  of  rocks,  with  deep  water  close  to  them, 
and  other  low  islands  in  sight.  Davis,  with  clear  head 
and  vigilant  e^'e,  was  threading  his  way  through  the 
Chagos  archipelago,  with  rocks  and  hidden  dangers  in 
all  directions.  The  pinnace  was  constantly  kept  ahead 
sounding,  and,  thanks  to  the  watchful  care  of  the  pilot, 
the  perils  of  this  intricate  navigation  were  overcome. 
On  the  9th  of  May  the  four  ships  were  safely  anchored 
ofif  the  Nicobar  Islands,  where  the  crews  were  refreshed 


204  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [i6oi. 

for  ten  days,  the  guns  mounted,  and  all  things  got  in 
readiness  for  defence  in  case  of  need. 

On  the  sands  of  the  Nicobar  Islands  a  curious  growth 
was  observed.  The  narrative  describes  it  as  a  small 
tvrig  growing  up  to  a  young  tree.  But  when  they  tried 
to  pull  it  up  it  sank  down  into  the  ground  and  disap- 
peared, unless  it  was  held  very  tight.  When  plucked 
up,  the  root  proved  to  be  a  great  worm.  As  the  tree 
grows  the  worm  diminishes,  and  when  the  Avorm  is 
wholly  turned  into  a  tree,  the  tree  becomes  rooted  in 
the  ground.  The  voyagers  looked  upon  this  transfor- 
mation as  one  of  the  strangest  wonders  they  had  seen, 
and  they  gathered  many  of  the  twigs  to  take  homo. 
They  are,  in  reality,  coralliferous  polyps  {Virgularia 
mirabilis),  which  protrude  from  their  holes  as  the  tide 
rises,  and  disappear  almost  completely  when  touched, 
unless  they  are  very  firmly  clutched.  The  leaves  on 
them  are  supposed  to  be  seaweed  or  fungus  parasites. 
The  part  projecting  above  the  surface  does  branch  out 
like  a  small  ti^ee,  and  they  vaiy  in  colour,  length, 
and  shape.  When  pulled  up  they  have  a  large  fleshy 
root,  which  is  really  the  intestines  of  the  animal, 
and  not  a  separate  worm.  But  on  the  wliole  the 
description  of  these  curious  creatui-es  is  correct,  and 
shows  what  careful  observers  were  John  Davis  and  his 
companions. 

On  the  5th  of  June  the  English  fleet  cast  anchor  in  the 
Bay  of  Achen,  where  a  number  of  vessels  from  various 
ports  of  India  were  lying.  Soon  a  boat  came  alongside 
with  Frederik  de  Iloutman  and  another  survivor  from 
among  those  who  were  captured  from  the  Dutch  ships  in 
1600.  They  reported  that  Ala-u-din  iShah,  the  King  of 
Achen,  would  welcome  the  English  traders,  and  that  he 


I603.]     FIRST  VOYAGE  OF  THE  INDIA  COMPANY.        205 

had  heard  much  of  the  Queen  of  England,  who  was  very 
famous  in  those  parts,  owing  to  her  victories  over  the 
Spaniards.  Captain  Middleton  was  then  sent  on  shore, 
to  inform  the  King  that  the  general  had  a  letter  for 
him  from  the  great  Queen.  He  was  very  well  received, 
and  on  the  third  day  Lancaster  came  on  shore  with  a 
suitable  escort.  Six  elephants  were  sent  to  convey  the 
envoy  to  court,  the  Queen's  letter  being  carried  on  one, 
while  Lancaster  mounted  another.  At  the  audience  the 
Queen's  letter  was  delivered  with  great  ceremony,  as 
well  as  the  valuable  presents  from  the  Company,  The 
most  important  request  in  the  letter  was  that  licence 
should  be  given  for  certain  merchants  to  have  a  settled 
factory  in  Achen,  and  to  remain  there,  learning  the 
language  and  collecting  merchandise,  until  the  arrival 
of  another  fleet.  After  several  conversations  between 
Lancaster  and  the  King,  two  native  commissioners 
were  appointed  to  arrange  the  heads  of  a  treaty  with 
the  English  envoy.  Lancaster  had  brought  out  with 
him  a  Jew  interpreter,  who  spoke  Arabic  fluently,  so 
that  there  was  no  diificulty  in  carrying  on  the  negotia- 
tions. A  treaty  was  finally  agreed  upon,  by  which  free 
trade  was  granted  to  the  English. 

As  soon  as  the  treaty  with  Achen  was  ratified,  the 
merchants  began  to  collect  pepper  for  the  return  voyage. 
The  Susan,  under  Henry  Middleton,  was  sent  to  Priaman, 
on  the  west  coast  of  Sumatra,  where  it  was  reported  that 
there  was  a  better  market  for  pepper  and  spices  than 
at  Achen.  Meanwhile  a  Portuguese  envoy  was  busily 
engaged  at  Achen  in  fruitless  attempts  to  undermine 
and  counteract  the  influence  of  Lancaster.  Two  mer- 
chants were  left  behind  to  form  a  factory,  and  on  the 
nth   of    September   the    English   ships   weighed,   and 


206  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1601. 

shaped  a  cours^e  for  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  where  some 
richly-laden  prizes  were  captured. 

Returning  to  the  Bay  of  Achen  in  the  end  of  October, 
Captain  Lancaster  found  that  the  King  had  faithfully 
observed  the  terms  of  the  treaty,  and  that  the  merchants 
were  well  satisfied  with  their  treatment.  The  King 
then  delivered  his  reply  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  a  rich 
present  to  Lancaster.  All  the  pepper  and  spices  collected 
by  the  merchants  were  shipped  on  board  the  Asce7is/on, 
leave  was  taken  of  the  King,  and  the  three  ships  sailed 
from  Achen  with  the  intention  of  touching  at  Bantam 
in  Java.  The  Ascension  was  sent  off  to  England  with 
her  cargo.  The  Dragon  and  Hector  proceeded  south- 
ward along  the  coast  of  Sumatra  to  Priaman,  where  the 
Susan  was  filling  up  with  pepper  and  cloves.  She  also 
was  despatched  to  England,  while  the  two  larger  ships 
remained  at  Priaman  for  a  few  days  to  refresh  the 
crews.  Davis  found  the  navigation  somewhat  difficult 
between  Achen  and  Priaman,  and  for  some  time  the 
ships  were  in  danger  among  rocks  and  islets  off  the 
coast.  Priaman  is  an  open  roadstead,  sheltered  by  coral 
islets,  forty  miles  south  of  the  equator,  and  in  those 
days  Priaman,  and  the  neighbouring  port  of  Tiku,  were 
the  principal  marts  for  pepper  in  Sumatra. 

Lancaster  ariived  at  Bantam,  in  Java,  on  the  i6th  of 
December,  and  delivered  a  letter  from  Queen  Elizabeth, 
with  some  presents,  to  the  infant  king  of  the  place. 
The  merchants  then  landed,  and  were  very  successful 
in  obtaining  full  cargoes  of  pepper.  By  the  loth  of 
February  1603  the  two  ships  were  fully  laden,  and  ready 
to  depart  on  their  return  voyage  to  England.  Captain 
Middleton  of  the  Rpdor  died  suddenly  at  Bantam,  to 
the  great  sorrow  of  all  the  members  of  the  expedition, 


i603.]    FIRST  VOYAGE  OF  THE  INDIA  COMPANY.        207 

for  he  was  popular,  and  had  worked  hard  to  secure  the 
success  of  the  venture.  Lancaster  sent  the  pinnace  to 
the  Moluccas  to  settle  a  factory,  and  three  merchants 
were  left  on  shore  at  Bantam.  He  then  received  a 
letter  from  the  King  of  Bantam  to  the  Queen,  with 
presents,  took  his  leave,  and  made  sail  for  England  on 
the  2oth  of  February. 

For  some  days  the  ships  were  becalmed  in  the  Strait 
of  Sunda,  hut  on  the  26th  they  were  clear  of  all  land, 
steering  S.W.  The  voyage  was  satisfactory  until  the 
2Sth  of  April  1603,  when  a  furious  storm  burst  upon 
them.  They  were  obliged  to  scud  under  bare  poles  in  a 
tremendous  sea  for  two  days,  but  eventually  the  wind 
became  less  violent,  and  they  were  able  to  repair  damages. 
Another  gale  was  encountered  on  the  3rd  of  May,  con- 
tinuing all  night,  the  seas  breaking  with  such  fury  on 
the  quarter  that  they  loosened  the  iron -work  of  the 
rudder.  Next  morning  the  rudder  broke  clean  away 
and  sank.  The  ship  broached  to,  and  drifted  about 
helplessly,  at  one  time  being  carried  far  south  among 
sleet  and  snow,  and  at  others  being  borne  by  the  current 
into  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Through  all  this  trying  time  of  peril  and  anxiety  the 
Hector  kept  close  to  her  consort  very  loyally.  At  last 
it  was  resolved  to  vmstep  the  mizen-mast  and  place  it 
over  the  stern,  as  a  substitute  for  a  rudder.  But  the 
seas  were  so  heavy  that  the  mizen-mast  was  dashed 
about  and  shook  the  stern  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
were  glad  when  they  had  hauled  it  back  into  the  ship 
again.  The  carpenter  was  then  oi-dered  to  convert  the 
mizen-mast  into  a  rudder,  and  after  much  trouble  it  was 
fixed.  This  success,  however,  was  of  short  duration,  for 
within  a  few  hours  the  seas  vmshipped  it  again,  while 


•208  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1601. 

all  but  two  of  the  rudder-irons  were  lost.  The  men 
began  to  be  anxious  to  abandon  the  ship  and  take  refuge 
in  tlie  Hector,  but  the  General  said,  "  Nay.  I  despair 
not  to  save  ourselves,  the  ship  and  the  goods,  by  one 
means  or  other,  as  God  shall  appoint  us."  He  then 
went  down  into  his  cabin  and  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
eraployei-s,  in  which  he  declared  his  intention  of  standing 
by  the  ship  to  the  last.  He  delivered  it  to  the  Hector, 
and  ordered  her  to  part  company  and  make  the  best 
of  her  way  to  England.  But  the  captain  of  the  Hector 
was  too  loyal  a  man  to  obey  such  an  order.  He  would 
not  leave  his  consort  in  her  distress,  but  remained  by 
her. 

At  length  the  sea  began  to  be  comparatively  smooth, 
and  the  carpenter  repaired  the  damage  done  to  the 
temporary  rudder.  The  Hector  sent  men  to  assist,  and 
the  rudder  was  hung  on  the  two  hooks  that  were  left. 
They  were  enabled  to  proceed  on  their  course,  and  on 
the  1 6th  of  June  they  arrived  at  the  island  of  St. 
Helena. 

The  storm-tossed  mariners  thus  reached  a  haven  of 
rest  and  refreshment.  St.  Helena  afforded  fresh  water 
and  some  wild  goats,  but  the  latter  called  for  the 
exercise  of  cunning  in  procui'ing  them.  Lancaster 
appointed  four  of  his  best  shots  to  go  into  the  interior 
of  the  island,  with  four  men  attending  upon  each  gun, 
who  at  once  carried  the  dead  goats  to  a  rendezvous.  A 
party  from  the  ships  was  sent  dailj^  to  the  rendezvous 
to  bring  down  the  precious  day's  shooting,  and  in  this 
way  a  plentiful  supply  of  fresh  meat  was  quickly  ob- 
tained. The  sick  men  all  recovered,  the  Dragon's  new 
rudder  was  carefully  secured,  and  the  two  .ships  were 
refitted. 


i6o3.]     FIRST  VOYAGE  OF  THE  INDIA  COMPANY.       209 

They  sailed  from  St.  Helena  on  the  5th  of  July,  and 
•crossed  the  line  on  their  homeward  voyage  on  the  25th. 
On  the  23rd  of  August  they  sighted  St.  Mary's,  the 
easternmost  island  of  the  Azores,  and  on  the  7th  of 
September  they  had  soundings  in  the  channel.  The 
return  of  the  expedition,  with  good  ladings  of  pepper 
and  spices  on  board  all  the  ships,  was  a  splendid  success. 
The  perils  and  hardships  of  the  undertaking  can  scarcely 
be  appreciated  now  any  more  than  the  momentous  char- 
acter of  the  enterprise,  in  the  consequences  it  led  to, 
could  be  fully  understood  then.  Sir  Thomas  Smith,  and 
a  few  others,  may  have  felt  some  presentiment  of  the 
glorious  future  in  their  most  enthusiastic  moments,  but 
the  great  majority  only  saw  in  the  return  of  the  East 
India  Company's  fleet  from  its  first  venture  a  successful 
voyage  which  encouraged  them  to  persevere.  Lancaster 
was  knighted,  and  was  for  many  years  a  worthy  director 
of  the  Company.  He  had  certainly  commanded  the 
expedition  with  distinguished  ability. 

The  second  voyage  of  the  East  India  Company,  which 
sailed  from  Gravesend  in  March  1604,  was  commanded 
by  Henry  Middleton,  who  had  brought  home  the  Susan 
in  Lancaster's  expedition.  He  had  the  same  four  ships, 
and  was  almost  as  successful  as  his  predecessor.  Other 
voyages  followed  year  by  year,  and  the  sixth,  com- 
manded by  Sir  Henry  Middleton,  who  had  been  knighted, 
was  on  a  large  scale.  Middleton's  ship,  the  Trades 
Increase,  of  11 00  tons,  was  the  largest  merchant  vessel 
ever  built  in  England,  and  there  were  two  other  ships 
which  sailed  with  her  in  April  16 10.  In  the  eighth 
voyage  Captain  Saris  established  an  English  factoiy  in 
Japan;  and  from  161 2,  when  the  tenth  voyage  under 
Captain  Best  was  undertaken,  dates  the  establishment 

o 


210  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1601-3. 

of  permanent  English  factories  on  the  coast  of  India. 
A  reguhir  firman  for  trade  was  procured  from  the 
Great  Mogul,  and  the  East  India  Company  secured  its 
first  footing  on  the  continent  of  India.  Fiom  these 
small  beginnings  the  Bxntish  Empire  of  India  arose, 
and  the  services  of  the  earliest  pioneers,  whose  work 
was  the  mo^t  hazardous  and  difficult,  should  never  be 
forgotten. 

To  Sir  James  Lancaster  the  first  place  is  due,  as  the 
efficient  and  courageous  leader  of  the  first  voyage.  But 
John  Davis  stands  second  to  him  alone.  In  his  voyage 
with  the  Zealandei's,  Davis  collected  much  needed  com- 
mercial information,  acquired  experience  as  a  pilot  and 
navigator  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  by  his  gallantry 
and  presence  of  mind  he  saved  the  Lion  and  all  on  board 
when  treacherously  attacked  by  the  Achenese.  In  his 
capacity  of  chief  pilot  to  the  first  voyage  of  the  East 
India  Company  he  brought  all  the  knowledge  and 
experience  acquired  with  the  Dutch  to  bear  for  the 
service  of  his  own  country.  In  seconding  Lancaster  he 
played  no  unimportant  part.  Among  the  worthies  who 
laid  the  foundations  of  our  Indian  Empire,  an  honour- 
able place  is  due  to  the  great  Arctic  navigator  and 
discoverer — John  Davis. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

THE   LAST    VOYAGE. 

John  Davis  was  at  home  for  one  year  and  three  mcnths 
before  he  sailed  on  his  last  voyage.  It  had  been  a  sad 
home-coming.  The  great  Queen  was  dead.  Adrian 
Gilbert,  his  more  than  brother,  had  also  passed  away. 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  his  true  and  constant  friend,  had 
fallen  on  evil  days.  The  learned  scholar,  the  gallant 
sailor,  the  patriot  statesman,  the  brilliant  courtier  was 
about  to  be  subjected  to  years  of  persecution  and  im- 
prisonment by  the  shambling  pedant  who  desecrated  the 
throne  of  Elizabeth.  Davis,  and  the  half  brothers  of 
Greenway,  were  spared  the  knowledge  of  Raleigh's  suffer- 
ings. They  went  before  him.  But  it  was  the  sight  of 
Raleigh's  execution  which  first  kindled  the  pati-iotic 
ardour  of  Eliot,  and  the  cruel  death  of  Eliot  gave  that 
stern  and  unswerving  i-esolution  to  the  action  of  the 
Long  Parliament,  which  led  to  the  erection  of  a  scaffold 
at  Whitehall.  Retribution,  though  slow  in  coming,  was 
certain ;  and  there  was  no  link  missing  in  the  chain 
connecting  the  execution  in  Palace  Yard  and  the  Tower 
dunofeons  with  the  scene  before  the  window  of  the 
Banqueting  House. 

Davis  only  saw  the  beginning  of  these  things.     The 
wretched  change  in  public  affairs  was  visible  at  once, 

211 


'212  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1603 

At  court  drunkenness  and  folly  were  substituted  for 
decency  and  public  spirit.  The  ship  of  the  State,  with 
Elizabeth  at  the  helm,  was  like  Lancaster's  Red  Dragon, 
orderly,  decent,  and  well-disciplined.  The  regivie  of 
James  would  remind  Davis  of  the  lord  of  misrule  and  of 
the  orgies  he  saw  on  board  the  Lion,  with  Houtman  in 
command. 

The  chief  pilot  received  his  due  share  of  the  profits  of 
the  successful  voyage,  and  he  still  owned  the  little  estate 
at  Sandridge.  Few  men  had  seen  more  service  afloat. 
He  might  well  have  sought  rest  and  retirement  in  his 
declining  years.  But  Davis  was  not  a  man  to  take  his 
hand  from  the  plough,  while  there  was  a  furrow  left  to 
turn.  He  was  destined  to  die  in  harness.  Like  the  old 
Roman  he  felt  that  he  should  work  to  the  last : — 

"  Oportet  Imperatorem  stantem  mori." 

Yet  there  were  a  few  last  months  of  home  life  in  Sand- 
ridge, during  which  he  might  set  his  atYairs  in  oi'der, 
before  he  set  sail  on  his  final  voyage. 

At  this  time  he  prepared  the  second  edition  of  his 
"  Seaman's  Secrets  "  for  the  press,  which  was  published 
in  1607.  He  became  engaged  to  Judith  Havard,  but 
the  marriage  was  deferred  until  his  return  from  the 
next  voyage.  His  boys  were  growing  up.  Two  months 
before  he  sailed  to  return  no  more,  John  Davis  made  his 
will  as  follows  : — 

"  In  the  name  of  God  Amen.  Being  nowe  bounde 
to  the  seas  for  the  coaste  of  China  in  the  Tiger  of 
London,  and  uncei'taine  of  my  returne,  I  doe  committ  my 
bodye  to  God's  favourable  direction  and  my  sowle  to  his 
everlastinge  mercie,  and  for  my  worldly  goods,  whatso- 
ever lands,  leases,  merchandizes  or  money,  either  in  my 


1605.]  THE  LAST  VOYAGE.  213 

possession  or  in  due  commynge  unto  me,  as  by  speciali- 
ties oi*  otherwise  shall  appeare,  my  will  is  that  it  shall  be 
devided  and  parted  into  fower  equall  parts  or  porc'ons ; 
that  is  to  say  I  give  and  bequeath  th'  one  foureth  parte 
thereof  to  Judith  Havard,  unto  whom  I  have  given  my 
faithe  in  matrimony,  to  be  solempnized  at  my  returne. 
The  other  foureth  parte  I  give  to  Gilbert  Davis,  my 
eldest  Sonne.  The  third  foureth  parte  I  give  to  .Arthur 
Davis,  my  second  sonne ;  and  the  last  foureth  parte  to 
Phillip  Davis,  my  thirde  youngest  sonne  now  living. 
Soe  my  will  is  that  my  goods  be  equally  divided  between 
my  three  sonnes  and  Judith  Havard,  my  espowsed  love, 
and  to  be  delivered  after  my  deathe  ys  manifestlie 
knowne.  But  if  any  of  them  shall  dye  before  they  re- 
ceive their  parte,  then  it  shall  be  equally  divided 
betweene  those  that  live.  If  they  all  die  before  it  be 
devided,  then  I  give  th'  one  haulf  to  the  poore,  and  th' 
other  haulf  to  my  brother  Edward  Davis  and  to  his 
children  :  and  soe,  commyting  my  soule  to  God,  I  desire 
that  this  my  wyll  may  be  faithfully  p' formed,  and  to 
testifie  that  this  is  my  deede  and  desire,  I  doe  hereunto 
sett  my  hande  and  seale  this  12th  of  October  1604.  By 
me,  John  Davis." 

The  East  India  Company  did  not  have  the  advantage 
of  the  services  of  Davis  during  their  second  voyage. 
It  was  unfortunate  that  he  did  not  continue  in  their 
enipl33'ment.  The  great  fault  in  his  character  was  a 
facility  of  disposition  which  led  him  to  comply  with  the 
wishes  of  friends,  or  even  the  requests  of  mere  acquaint- 
ances if  strongly  urged,  and  that  when  the  line  of 
conduct  they  proposed  was  opposed  to  the  interests  of 
enterprises,  the  welfare  of  wliich  he  had  most  at  heart. 
It  was  this  weakness  which  led  him  to  join  the  ill-con- 


214  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1603. 

ducted  expedition  of  Cavendish.  lie  now  left  the  service 
of  the  Company,  in  compliance  with  the  desire  of  an  old 
friend  with  whom  he  had  probably  served  in  the  Island 
Voyage.  Sir  Edward  Michelborne  was  a  seaman  of 
some  distinction,  and  he  had  strong  interest  at  court. 
His  friends  urged  his  claims  to  command  the  first  voyage 
of  the  East  India  Company.  The  Lord  Treasurer  used 
much  persuasion  with  the  Company  to  accept  of  his 
employment  as  principal  commander,  but  the  merchants 
announced  that  they  were  resolved  not  to  employ  any 
gentleman  in  any  place  of  charge  in  the  voyage,  desiring 
"  to  sort  their  business  with  men  of  their  own  quality." 
Michelborne's  name  appears  third  in  the  list  of  sub- 
scribers, but  in  July  1601  a  minute  records  that  Sir 
Edward,  with  two  others,  "  was  disfranchised  out  of  the 
freedom  and  privileges  of  this  fellowship,  and  utterly 
disabled  from  taking  any  benefit  or  profit  thereby."  No 
reason  is  given  for  this  expulsion.  Perhaps  the  sub- 
scription was  not  paid.  Michelborne  became  a  gentle- 
man pensioner  to  James  I.,  and  in  1604  he  began  to 
prepare  for  a  voyage  to  the  East  Indies  on  his  own 
account.  On  June  2  5tli,  1604,  King  James,  regardless 
of  the  Charter  giving  exclusive  rights  to  the  East  India 
Company,  granted  a  license  to  Sir  Edward  Michelborne 
to  discover  and  trade  with  China  and  Japan,  notwith- 
standing any  grant  or  charter  to  the  contrary. 

Michelborr>e  equipped  a  vessel  of  240  tons  called  the 
Tiger,  with  a  pinnace  named  the  Tigers  Whelj),  and 
John  Davis  accepted  the  appointment  of  pilot.  Purchas 
calls  this  the  second  voyage  of  John  Davis  into  the  East 
Indies.  It  was  his  second  voyage  thither  in  an  English 
ship,  but  his  third  including  the  Dutch  expedition. 

The  Tiger  and  her  whelp  set  sail  from  Cowes  on  the 


1603.]  THE  LAST  YOYAGE.  215 

5th  of  December  1604,  and  arrived  in  the  insecure 
anchorage  of  Oratava,  on  the  north-west  side  of  the 
Island  of  Teneriffe,  on  the  23rd.  Crossing  the  line  on 
the  1 6th  of  January,  Davis  shaped  a  course  for  Fernando 
Noi'onha,  where  he  found  the  number  of  inhabitants 
reduced  to  six,  and  the  live  stock  not  so  plentiful  as 
at  the  time  of  his  former  visit.  There  were,  however, 
plenty  of  wild  gourds  and  water-melons.  They  observed 
also  trees  of  Jatropha  rjossijpifolia,  which  is  abundant 
on  the  island,  and  which  they  called  "  rotten  trees," 
because  Avhen  they  were  there  it  was  the  dry  season 
and  the  trees  were  devoid  of  leaves.  A  climbing 
asdepiad,  with  large  pods  full  of  a  silky  fibre,  was  seen 
growing  on  the  leafless  Jatrophas,  just  as  Mr.  Moseley 
observed  them  during  the  visit  of  H.M.S.  Challeiiger 
270  years  afterwards.  A  very  pleasant  sight  must  this 
bright  vegetation  have  been  to  men  who  had  been  several 
weeks  at  sea,  and  they  gladly  lauded  to  fill  their  water- 
casks  and  get  in  supplies  of  fresh  provisions. 

During  the  voyage  from  Fernando  Noronha  to  the 
Cape,  the  Tiger  sighted  Ascension,  and  on  the  3rd  of  April 
a  small  island  was  seen  which  Davis  reported  as  Dassen, 
or  Coney  Island,  about  eight  leagues  south  of  the  present 
Saldanha  Bay.  Sir  Edward  Michelborne  went  in  a  bout 
to  land  on  it.  In  his  absence  the  ship  was  driven  out  to 
sea  by  a  gale  of  wind,  and  the  General  did  not  get  on 
board  again  for  two  days.  On  the  8th,  the  anchor  was 
let  go  in  Table  Bay.  Here,  as  usual,  there  were  abun- 
dant supplies  of  fresh  beef  and  mutton,  and  the  shoot- 
ing parties  got  great  quantities  of  birds.  Their  stay  of 
three  weeks  quite  revived  the  spirits  of  the  men,  and 
when  they  sailed,  on  the  3rd  of  May,  they  were  in  as 
good  health  as  at  the  time  of   their  departure  from 


216  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1603. 

England.  Hounding  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  on  the  7th, 
they  encountered  a  furious  gale  of  wind  on  the  9th,  which 
lasted  for  two  days  with  rain  and  thunder.  In  the  full 
fury  of  the  storm,  flickering  flames,  like  candles,  appeared 
on  the  Tiger's  mast-heads.  Spanish  mariners  would 
have  believed  that  these  St.  Elmo  lights  were  indications 
of  the  presence  of  their  guardian  saint.  Protestant 
Englishmen  could  not  believe  a  Popish  fable.  Never- 
theless the  fact  remained  that  the  weather  improved 
from  that  time,  and  that  the  sea  went  down. 

Stretching  boldly  across  the  Indian  Ocean,  the  able 
pilot  of  the  Tiger  made  the  noi-thernmost  island  of  the 
Chagos  Archipelago,  and  a  supply  of  coco  -  nuts  was 
obtained.  But  Michelborne  altered  his  plans.  Diego 
Garcia,  at  the  southern  end  of  the  group,  was  sighted, 
the  line  was  again  crossed,  and  on  the  26th  of  July  the 
ship  was  near  the  coast  of  Sumatra.  She  was  anchored 
off  the  little  island  of  Batu,  and  the  crew  set  to  work  to 
put  together  a  small  shallop  which  had  been  brought 
out  from  England  in  pieces.  This  addition  to  Michel- 
borne's  force  was  named  the  Bat,  in  honour  of  the 
flying  squirrels  which  were  found  hanging  fi'om  the 
trees,  on  the  well-wooded  island.  From  thence  the 
2'iger  proceeded  to  Priaman,  the  pepper  mart  on  the 
west  coast  of  Sumatra,  anchoring  thei-e  on  the  13th  of 
August.  The  Tigers  Whelp  had  been  separated  from  her 
consort  during  the  gale  of  wind  off  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope ;  she  had  made  the  voyage  alone  and  had  reached 
Priaman,  where  she  was  once  more  united  with  the 
Tiger,  amidst  great  rejoicings.  The  captain  of  the 
whelp  came  out  in  his  boat,  when  her  dam  was  still 
half  a  league  from  the  anchorage,  and  Michelborne 
tvelcomed  him  with  a  peal  of  great  ordnance. 


1605.1  THE  LAST.  VOYAGE.  217 

At  Piiamaii  it  was  foiinrl  that  the  King  of  Achen  had 
been  dethixjned  by  his  sou8,  that  there  was  a  civil  war 
between  tlie  brothers,  and  that  little  trade  could  be 
done.  Michelborne  therefore  resolved  to  proceed  south- 
wards to  Bantam.  On  the  23rd  of  October  the  Tiger 
and  her  whelp  anchored  off  an  inhabited  island  called 
Pulo  Marra,  in  the  Straits  of  Sunda,  near  the  southern 
extremity  of  Sumatra,  where  plentiful  supplies  of  fresh 
provisions  were  obtained.  While  he  was  on  the  west 
coast  of  Sumatra,  Davis  devoted  his  attention  to  the 
execution  of  careful  surveys,  and  to  the  pi-eparation  of 
sailing  directions  for  the  use  of  his  countrymen.  In 
this  last  year  of  his  life  he  was  as  zealous  and  diligent 
as  in  the  days  of  his  prime.  One  result  of  his  merito- 
lious  labours  is  presei-ved  in  the  Sloane  collection  of 
manuscripts  at  the  Biitish  Museum.  It  consists  of 
minute  and  carefully  prepared  sailing  directions  from 
Achen  to  the  pepper  marts  of  Priaman  and  Tiku  ;  with 
latitude  and  variation  of  the  compass  for  each  port, 
descriptions  of  watering  places,  and  some  account  of  the 
trade  at  vaiious  points  along  the  west  coast  of  Sumatra. 
He  gives  excellent  advice  to  keep  the  lead  going  when 
near  the  land,  and  notes  the  bearings  of  conspicuous 
marks  from  the  different  anchorages.  It  is  touching  to 
note  how,  in  seeking  for  a  comparison,  his  thoughts 
revert  to  home  scenes.  Thus,  in  describing  a  gutt  or 
break  in  a  line  of  high  land,  he  compaies  it  to  the 
entrance  of  Dartmouth,  that  beloved  haven  on  which 
his  eyes  were  never  destined  to  rest  again. 

Leaving  Pulo  Marra,  the  Tvjcr  proceeded  to  Bantam, 
where  Michelborne  communicated  with  the  factors  of 
the  East  India  Company  residing  there.  He  then 
shaped   a  course   to   Patani,   the  most    northern   state 


218  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1603. 

on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Malay  Peninsula.  For  a 
long  time  they  beat  up  against  a  northerly  wind ;  and, 
having  captured  a  junk  belonging  to  Pahang,  they  took 
some  rice  out  of  her,  for  which  Sir  Edward  Michelborne 
paid  in  full,  and  engaged  the  services  of  a  native  who 
was  acquainted  with  the  pilotage  of  the  Patani  coast. 
Davis  then  shaped  a  course  for  Pulo  Tioman,  the  largest 
of  a  chain  of  islands  on  the  east  coast  of  the  Malay 
Peninsula.  Still  baffled  by  the  northerly  winds  which 
prevail  on  this  coast  in  November,  they  were  for  many 
days  off  Pahang,  a  native  state  which  extends  for  eighty 
miles  along  the  coast,  bounded  on  the  south  by  Johore, 
and  on  the  north  by  Tringano.  This  eastern  coast  is 
very  beautiful,  with  mountains  inland  rising  to  a  height 
of  3000  feet  above  the  sea. 

Then  the  end  came.  As  the  Tiger  was  beating  against 
a  head  wind  on  the  Pahang  coast,  she  fell  in  with  a 
junk,  on  the  24th  of  December.  It  was  full  of  Japanese 
who  had  been  committing  piracies  along  the  coasts  of 
China  and  Cambodia.  Their  pilot  being  dead,  they 
had  wrecked  their  ship  on  a  shoal  off  the  coast  of 
Borneo.  Taking  to  their  boats  they  boarded  a  junk 
belonging  to  Patani,  massacred  the  crew,  and  took 
possession.  She  was  laden  with  lice,  and  having  taken 
their  arms  out  of  the  wreck,  they  shaped  a  course  for 
Japan.  But  their  ignorance,  and  the  contrary  winds, 
were  the  causes  for  their  being  so  far  out  of  their 
reckoning ;  and  so,  by  an  evil  chance,  the  Tvjer  fell  in 
with  this  shipload  of  Japanese  ruthans  off  the  coast 
of  Pahang.  Thei-e  were  ninety  men  crowded  into  a 
junk  of  seventy  tons.  They  at  once  submitted  to  the 
orders  of  Sir  Edward  Michelborne,  with  much  show  of 
humility,  and  told  their  story  with  apparent  frankness. 


i6o5  ]  THE  LAST  VOYAGE.  219 

The  current  had  drifted  them  to  the  south,  and  the 
Ticjer  anchored  under  a  small  island  to  the  east  of 
Singapore,  one  of  a  cluster  at  the  eastern  extremity  of 
the  Strait  of  Malacca,  with  the  junk  nearly  alongside. 
Michelborne  entertained  the  ruffians  and  used  them 
well,  in  the  expectation  of  obtaining  valuable  informa- 
tion respecting  the  trade  routes  to  China.  The  Japanese, 
on  the  other  hand,  being  hopeless  of  ever  reaching  their 
own  country  in  the  leaky  junk,  had  secretly  resolved  to 
seize  the  Tiger  or  lose  their  lives  in  the  attempt. 

Meanwhile  there  were  mutual  courtesies  and  enter- 
tainments passing  between  the  English  and  Japanese, 
sometimes  there  being  as  many  as  twenty-five  or  twenty- 
six  of  the  pirates  on  board  the  Tvicr  at  one  time.  For 
some  reason  which  is  not  explained,  probably  owing  to 
a  rumour  of  concealed  treasure,  Michelborne  ordered  the 
cargo  of  rice  to  be  searched,  and  while  this  work  was 
being  done,  he  desired  Captain  Davis  to  disai-m  the 
Japanese  and  send  them  before  tlie  mast.  Davis,  being 
deceived  by  the  pretended  humility  of  the  desperadoes, 
did  not  take  away  their  weapons,  although  Michel- 
borne appeals  to  have  sent  two  messages  to  him  on  the 
subject.  This  went  on  all  day,  the  English  crew  search- 
ing in  the  lice,  and  the  Japanese  looking  on,  some 
before  the  mast  in  the  junk,  and  others  on  board  the 
Tiger.  While  they  were  passing  the  time  in  apparent 
idleness,  the  villains  were  agreeing  upon  a  plan  of  action. 
At  a  preconcerted  signal,  they  were  suddenly  to  attack 
the  English  in  both  ships. 

Towards  sunset  the  storm  burst.  Taking  the  captors 
completely  by  surprise,  the  Japanese  killed  or  drove 
overboard  all  the  Englishmen  that  were  in  the  junk.  A 
certain  number  of  Japanese  had  been  confined  in  the 


220 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS. 


[1603. 


Tiller's  cabin  during  the  search.     On  the  signal  being 
given,  they  rushed  out  and  met  Captain  Davis  coining 


out  of  the  gun-room.  They  pulled  him  inside  the  cabin, 
gave  him  six  or  seven  mortal  wounds,  and  then  thrust 
Li.s   body  out  into  the  waist.     He  was  dead  before  he 


i6o5.]  THE  LAST  VOYAGE.  221 

reached  the  deck.  Michelborne  was  on  the  poop.  He 
rallied  the  boatswain,  carpenter,  and  a  few  men  round 
him,  and  leapt  into  the  waist,  where  the  pirates  were 
kept  at  bay.  They  fought  with  desperate  tenacity,  dis- 
puting the  ground  inch  by  inch,  as  they  were  gradually 
driven  fi-om  the  waist  back  into  the  cabin.  Here  they 
held  out  for  upwards  of  four  hours,  making  several 
attempts  to  set  the  ship  on  fire.  At  last  Michelborne 
got  two  demi-culverins  to  bear  on  the  cabin  bulk  heaifl, 
loaded  them  with  cross-bars,  bullets,  and  case  shot,  and 
let  fly  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy,  blowing  the  survivors 
to  pieces.  Not  one  asked  for  life.  All  fought  to  the 
bitter  end.  Thus  did  John  Davis  close  his  eventful 
life,  on  the  27th  of  December  1605.  He  found  a  watery 
grave  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  Strait  of  Malacca,  within 
sight  of  the  lofty  Island  of  Bintang. 

Michelborne,  after  the  loss  of  his  illustrious  pilot, 
hesitated  for  some  time,  but  eventually  resolved  to 
return  home,  and  made  sail  on  the  5th  of  February 
1606.  On  the  17th  of  April  he  reached  St.  Helena  and 
i-efreshed  his  crew,  and  on  the  27th  of  June  he  arrived 
at  Milford  Haven.  Finally  the  Tiger  came  to  an  anchor 
at  Portsmouth  on  the  9th  of  July,  where  the  crew  was 
dismissed,  having  been  a  year  and  a  half  on  the  voyage. 
They  brought  home  the  sad  news  of  the  death  of  John 
Davis — the  discoverer,  surveyor,  and  true-hearted  sailor ; 
one  bright  star  out  of  many  in  the  glorious  Elizabethan 
constellation.     He  had  just  reached  his  fifty-sixth  year. 

Of  the  four  boys  who  had  been  companions  on  the 
banks  of  the  Dart,  and  had  together  listened  to  the 
yarns  of  sailoi-s  on  Dartmouth  quay,  three  had  run  their 
course  and  passed  away.  Humphrey  Gilbert,  in  the 
prime  of  life,    had   sunk   beneath   the   Atlantic   waves, 


222  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1603. 

with  words  upon  his  lips  that  have  liecome  immortal. 
The  more  peaceful,  though  not  less  useful,  career  of 
Adrian  Gilbert  ended  quietly  at  home.  John  Davis, 
after  a  long  series  of  valuable  services  to  his  country 
and  to  science,  met  with  a  violent  death  outside  the 
Straits  of  Malacca.  Walter  Raleigh  was  destined  to 
outlive  them  all,  and  to  endure  a  long  drawn-out 
maityrdom  before  his  brilliant  career  was  closed  in 
Palace  Yard.  He  was  not  found  wanting  when  tried 
in  the  furnace  of  adversity.  Its  fruit  was  the  "  History 
of  the  World." 

Davis  was  distinguished  in  every  branch  of  a  sailoi-'s 
profession.  After  losing  sight  of  him  at  the  home  of 
his  boyhood,  when  he  went  to  sea,  we  first  encounter 
him  again  in  the  companionship  of  Adrian  Gilbert, 
planning  the  details  of  an  important  expedition  of 
discovery.  His  conduct  of  the  three  successive  Arctic 
expeditions  was  able  and  judicious.  He  was  a  thorough 
seaman,  a  scientific  observer,  with  attainments  which 
were  unusual  in  those  days,  and  an  admirable  organiser. 
Above  all,  he  had  that  love  of  enterprise,  that  fervent 
enthusiasm  without  which  mere  attainments  cannot 
secure  success.  He  made  the  subject  of  a  North- West 
Passage  his  own,  and  he  never  lost  sight  of  it  during  a 
long  life  of  hard  and  almost  constant  service.  As  a 
scientific  explorer  and  discoverer  he  was  certainly  the 
first  man  of  his  age  and  country. 

The  practically  useful  laboui-s  of  John  Davis  were 
valuable  to  his  own  and  to  succeeding  generations.  His 
charts  of  the  English  Channel  and  the  Scilly  Islands, 
of  the  Arctic  coasts,  and  of  INIagellan's  Straits ;  and  his 
sailing  directions,  especially  for  the  Eastern  Seas,  are 
a  few  among  the  numerous  results  of  his  observations. 


i6o5.]  THE  LAST  VOYAGE.  223 

His  opportunities  were  great,  he  was  always  diligently 
on  the  look-out  to  record  anything  that  could  be  useful 
to  his  countrymen,  and  the  skill  acquired  by  years  of 
praxitice  rendered  the  work  of  his  hands  as  accurate 
as  it  was  justly  prized.  He  did  not  work  for  fame  or 
for  money,  but  for  the  love  he  felt  for  his  brother 
sailors.  It  was  this  love  that  conquered  difficulties,  and 
inspired  him  to  work  unceasingly.  From  the  same 
source  came  the  "  Seaman's  Secrets,"  and  the  invention 
of  the  back-staff.  "  It  was  not  in  respect  of  his  pains 
but  of  his  love "  that  he  desired  to  be  judged.  No 
nobler  motive  ever  influenced  a  man  in  the  execution  of 
difficult  and  laborious  work. 

For  war  services  Davis  had  no  special  aptitude ;  yet 
he  was  prompt  and  ready,  when  opportunities  offered, 
to  fight  for  his  Queen  and  country.  In  the  repulse  of 
the  Spanish  Armada,  he  commanded  a  tender,  and  acted 
as  pilot  to  the  Lord  Admii-al.  In  the  campaign  with 
the  Earl  of  Cumberland  at  the  Azores,  he  was  active 
and  enterprising.  He  served  in  the  brilliant  attack  on 
Cadiz ;  and  in  the  arduous  cruise  among  the  Azores  in 
1597.  His  personal  gallantry  and  presence  of  mind 
saved  the  Lion,  when  treacherously  attacked  by  the 
Malays.  But  no  part  of  his  fame  rests  on  his  war 
services.  He  was  essentially  a  man  of  peace.  It  was 
by  the  calm  and  collected  way  in  which  he  faced,  and 
encouraged  others  to  face,  the  most  terrible  hardships 
and  sufferings ;  by  his  ever  ready  presence  of  mind  and 
consummate  seamanship  in  moments  of  danger,  that  he 
showed  the  stuff  he  was  made  of.  The  enemies  against 
which  he  made  war  were  the  ice  of  the  frigid  zone,  the 
storms  of  the  far  south,  the  pestilences  of  the  tropics, 
and  the  evil  designs  of  false  companions.     It  was  the 


2-24  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1603. 

mission  of  his  life  to  study  the  forces  of  nature,  and  to 
mould  and  direct  them,  so  far  as  the  knowledge  of  his 
times  rendered  it  possible,  for  the  good  of  his  Queen 
and  his  countrymen.  If,  as  regards  worldly  success  and 
his  own  fortunes,  the  life  of  Davis  was,  in  some  sort,  a 
failure,  in  all  that  is  worth  living  for,  in  valuable 
public  services  well  performed,  and  in  the  acquisition  of 
immortal  fame,  it  was  a  success. 

Davis  was  a  God-fearing  and  loyal  man  from  his 
youth  upwards.  He  was  a  true  and  constant  friend, 
and  warmly  sympathised  with  those  who  served  under 
him.  Raleigh  and  Adrian  Gilbert  never  faltered  in 
their  life-long  friendship,  and  never  failed  him  in  his 
need.  Mr.  Janes,  after  serving  under  him  in  two  Arctic 
expeditions,  embarked  with  him  for  Magellan's  Strait, 
solely  actuated  by  the  love  he  bore  him.  For  Davis  was 
a  genial  companion  as  well  as  a  true  friend.  He  was 
imaginative  and  enthusiastic,  and  he  had  a  strong  sense 
of  humour,  as  is  shown  in  his  narrative  of  the  Dutch 
voyage.  He  bore  the  grievous  misfortune  at  home  with 
manly  fortitude,  neither  abandoning  his  duties  nor  alter- 
ing his  mode  of  life  when  on  shore.  He  lived  on  at  his 
beloved  Sandridge,  for  the  sake  of  his  children. 

The  faults  in  the  character  of  Davis  were  of  a  nature 
which  made  it  unlikely  that  he  would  be  fortunate  in 
a  worldly  sense.  Although  he  was  resolute  and  de- 
termined in  facing  the  elements  and  in  prosecuting  his 
designs,  he  was  often  lamentably  weak  when  appealed 
to  by  companions  or  acquaintances,  and  in  quelling  in- 
subordination. He  was  apt  to  acquiesce  when  he  should 
have  resisted,  and  to  yield  rather  than  oppose.  He  was 
too  good-natured.  His  disposition  was  too  facile ;  and 
from  this  fault  most  of  his  misfortunes  originated.     He 


i6o5.]  THE  LAST  VOYAGE.  225 

preferred  expostulation  to  force  at  times  when  force  alone 
was  needed. 

With  all  his  faults,  John  Davis,  the  great  discoverer, 
the  scientific  seaman,  the  consummate  pilot,  takes  rank 
among  the  foremost  sea- worthies  of  the  glorious  reiga 
of  Queen  Elizabeth. 

Much  that  Davis  wrote  has  been  lost.  We  have  his 
letters  to  Secretary  Walsingham  and  to  Master  Sanderson 
after  his  return  from  the  Arctic  voyages,  his  narrative 
of  the  second,  and  his  log  of  the  third  voyage.  The 
speeches  he  made  to  the  master  and  crew  of  the  Desire 
are  given  verbatim  by  Janes.  His  separate  published 
works  are  the  "  Seaman's  Secrets,"  with  the  preface 
addressed  to  the  Lord  High  Admiral,  and  the  "  World's 
Hydrographical  Discovery."  His  narrative  of  the  Dutch 
voyage  of  Houtman  is  the  only  one  in  existence,  and  is 
valuable  as  a  specimen  of  the  humorous  side  of  Davis's 
mind.  It  is  accompanied  by  a  covering  letter  to  the 
Earl  of  Essex.  The  Sailing  Directions  for  the  west 
coast  of  Sumatra  furnish  an  example  of  his  method  in 
preparing  the  valuable  guides  for  the  use  of  his  sea- 
faring countrymen.  Next  to  his  own  writings  we  aro 
most  indebted  to  the  pen  of  his  devoted  friend,  John 
Janes,  in  tracing  the  life-story  of  Davis.  Two  of  the 
Arctic  narratives  and  the  thrilling  tale  of  adventures 
ia  Magellan's  Strait  are  from  his  pen. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK  OF  DAVIS. 

I. 

By  the  "  Furious  Overfall." 

Davis,  in  completing  his  own  discovery  of  the  Strait, 
and  its  adjacent  shores,  set  up  two  leading  marks 
for  future  exploration.  One  pointed  west  by  the 
"  Furious  Overfall,"  the  other  pointed  north  by  "  San- 
derson his  Hope."  Each  was  followed  up  by  worthy 
successors  a  few  years  after  the  death  of  the  illustrious 
pioneer.  Henry  Hudson  made  his  way  by  the  "  Furious 
Overfall  "  into  Hudson's  Bay.  William  Baffin,  passing 
beyond  "  Sanderson  his  Hope,"  reached  and  explored 
the  great  bay  which  bears  his  name.  The  discoveries 
of  Hudson  and  Baffin  are  the  direct  consequences  of 
the  work  of  Davis,  and  form  the  sequel  of  his  life-stoiy. 
A  life  of  Davis  would  therefore  be  incomplete  unless  it 
included  an  account  of  the  work  achieved  by  those  who 
followed  up  his  leading  marks. 

When  John  Davis  made  his  speech  on  Ai-ctic  dis- 
covery to  the  merchants  of  London  in  the  house  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Hudson  at  Mortlake,  it  is  more  than  possible 
that  the  nephew  of  that  merchant  may  have  been 
present.      Thus    we   may   believe   that   the   two   great 


NOETH-^ 


ScaLe 


I.  Hakluyt  Island 
3.  Cape  Dudley 
5.  Mansell  Islan( 
7.  Salisbury  Islan 
T 
H.  Hudson,  16 
B.  Baffin,  i 


1607-32.]        FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK. 


227 


discoverers  may  have  been  personally  known  to  each 
other.  But  from  that  time  we  entirely  lose  sight  of 
Ileary  Hudson,  until  we  find  him  employed  by  the 
Muscovy  Company  to  discover  a  shorter  route  to  Cathaye 
by  sailing  over  the  North  Pole. 

On  the  19th  of  April  1607  eleven  men  and  a  boy 
partook  of  the  holy  communion  at  the  little  church  of 
8t.  Ethelburga,  in  Bishopsgate  Street  Within.  They 
then  returned  to  the  river-side  at  Ratcliffe,  and  went 


on  board  the  Hopewell,  a  little  vessel  of  80  tons.  Ten 
days  afterwards  Hudson  commenced  his  first  adven-. 
turous  voyage.  His  little  son  Jack  shared  his  cabin, 
William  Collins  and  James  Young  were  the  mates,  and 
the  crew  consisted  of  eight  men.  On  the  13th  of  June 
he  came  in  sight  of  the  east  coast  of  Greenland.  He 
then  shaped  a  north-easterly  course  until  he  sighted  the 
famous  Hakluyt  Head  of  Spitzbergen,  but  he  could  find 
no  opening  whereby  he  might  force  his  way  northwards. 


218  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607. 

lie  returned  in  September,  and  in  the  following  year 
the  Muscovy  Company  despatched  him  on  a  similar 
service.  Tliis  time  he  intended  to  attempt  a  passage 
between  Spitzbergen  and  Novaya  Zemlya.  His  son 
was  again  with  him  as  a  companion.  On  reaching  the 
edge  of  the  ice  he  carefully  examined  it  for  an  opening, 
but  again  without  success,  and  he  returned  to  Gravesend 
in  August  1608.  These  voyages  had  useful  scientific 
as  well  as  commercial  results.  Hudson  was  the  first 
sea-captain  who  took  observations  for  the  dip  of  the 
magnetic  needle,  and  his  voyages  led  directly  to  the 
establishment  of  a  lucrative  whale  fishery  in  the  Spitz- 
bergen seas.  Hudson's  third  voyage  was  undertaken 
from  Amsterdam,  in  a  yacht  called  the  Iliilf  Moon,  with 
a  crew  composed  half  of  Dutch  and  half  of  Englishmen. 
On  this  occasion  he  attempted  discoveries  on  the  coast 
of  North  America.  Crossing  the  Atlantic  in  the  spring 
of  1609,  he  explored  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake,  rounded 
Sandy  Hook,  discovered  the  river  which  bears  his  name, 
and  sighted  the  Catskill  Mountains.  Hudson  landed 
on  the  Island  of  Manhattan,  the  site  of  New  York,  and 
returned  to  England  in  November,  anchoring  in  Dart- 
mouth Harbour.  He  there  received  orders  not  to  go 
back  to  Holland,  but  remain  and  give  his  services  to 
his  own  country. 

Sir  Thomas  Smith,  with  two  other  eminent  patrons  of 
discovery,  had  resolved  to  fit  out  another  expedition  for 
the  discovery  of  a  North-West  Passage.  The  previous 
three  voyages  of  Hudson  had  been  his  preparation  for 
following  the  beacon  lighted  by  Davis,  and  completing 
the  examination  of  the  route,  the  way  to  which  was 
pointed  out  by  the  great  navigator — the  way  by  the 
"Furious   Overfall."     The   Discovenj,   of    55   tons,   was 


-    1632.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  229 

provided,  and  Hudson  received  the  command.  Once 
more  his  young  son  Jack,  who  had  reached  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  was  his  companion.  His  mate  was 
Robert  Juet,  a  treacherous  old  man,  who  had  served 
with  Hudson  in  his  second  and  third  voyages.  Thomas 
Woodhouse,  a  mathematical  student;  Habakkuk  Prickett, 
a  servant  of  Sir  Dudley  Digges ;  Robert  Bylot,  an 
experienced  old  sailor;  Arnold  Ludlow,  and  MichaL-l 
Pierce,  were  the  leading  men  on  board.  Henry  Green, 
a  good-for-nothing  young  spendthrift,  befriended  by 
Hudson  because  he  wrote  a  good  hand,  was  taken  on 
board  at  the  last  moment.  Sailing  from  Greenhithe  on 
the  22nd  of  April  16 10,  the  Discovery  made  a  prosperous 
voyage  to  Iceland,  and  thence  across  the  Atlantic.  In 
June,  Hudson  navigated  his  ship  past  the  "  Furious 
Overfall,"  and  down  the  strait  which  bears  his  name  and 
leads  to  the  great  bay  or  inland  sea,  the  Mediterranean 
of  America,  as  it  has  been  called,  which  was  ever  after- 
wards to  be  known  as  Hudson's  Bay.  Hudson  sailed 
through  the  strait,  with  little  or  no  obstruction  from  ice, 
until  the  entrance  to  the  bay  was  reached.  The  island  on 
the  south  side  of  the  entrance  was  named  Cape  Digges, 
and  it  was  observed  that  myriads  of  birds  wei'e  breeding 
there.  Hudson's  own  journal  unfortunately  comes  to 
an  end  on  reaching  Cape  Digges.  The  story  is  continued 
by  Habakkuk  Pi'ickett,  whose  naiTative  is  open  to  some 
suspicion,  and  whose  account  is  confused  and  unsatis- 
factory. Hudson's  journal  ends  on  the  3rd  of  August, 
and  during  the  three  following  months  it  is  not  at  all 
clear  what  he  was  doing,  and  what  course  he  took.  But 
on  the  ist  of  November  the  Discovery  was  in  a  bay  at 
the  extreme  south  of  Hudson's  Bay,  now  called  James 
Bay.     She  was  frozen  in  and  compelled  to  winter  there. 


230  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607. 

A  spirit  of  mutiny  and  discontent  began  to  show  itself 
during  the  long  and  dreary  nights,  which  was  increased 
by  privation  and  hardship,  and  fostered  by  two  or  three 
designing  villains.  Hudson  had  felt  obliged  to  super- 
sede his  old  shipmate  Juet  in  his  rating  of  mate,  and  to 
appoint  Robert  Bylot  in  his  place,  owing  to  some  mis- 
conduct. Henry  Green  was  an  unprincipled  scoundrel, 
whose  enmity  against  his  benefactor  arose  fi-om  the 
refusal  of  some  trifle  for  which  he  had  asked.  He 
formed  a  conspiracy  with  the  boatswain,  named  William 
AVilson,  and  three  men,  named  John  Thomas,  Michael 
Pierce,  and  Andrew  Moter.  They  watched  their  oppor- 
tunity. The  piovisions  had  run  very  low,  but  Hudson 
hoped  to  replenish  them  and  to  obtain  a  sufficient 
supply  for  the  return  voyage  by  salting  down  birds  at 
Cape  Digges.  On  the  1 8th  of  June  1 6 1 1  the  Discovery 
broke  out  of  her  winter  quarters,  and  a  course  was 
shaped  for  the  entrance  of  Hudson's  Strait. 

The  mutineers  thought  that  there  would  not  be  suffi- 
cient food  to  enable  them  to  reach  England,  and  they 
conceived  the  diabolical  scheme  of  turning  the  sick  and 
weak  adrift  in  order  to  reduce  the  number  of  mouths. 
As  they  knew  that  Hudson  would  never  consent  to  this 
villainy,  and  as  they  hated  their  commander  because  he 
bad  enforced  discipline  and  had  punished  two  or  more 
of  them,  they  included  him  and  his  son  in  the  number 
of  their  intended  victims,  as  well  as  all  who  remained 
loyal.  Habakkuk  Prickett  and  five  others  were  in  bed 
with  scurvy  when  the  ship  broke  out  of  the  ice,  and  a 
course  was  shaped  northwards  for  Cape  Digges. 

Prickett  tells  the  story  of  what  took  place.  He  says 
that  Green  and  Wilson  came  to  his  bunk  after  the  ship 
had  been  three  days  at  sea,  and  di\ulged  their  plot  to 


1632.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  231 

him,  assuring  him  that  the  course  they  proposed  to 
take  was  unavoidable,  because  there  were  only  fourteen 
days'  provisions  left  in  the  ship.  He  declares  that  ho 
entreated  them  to  desist,  at  least  for  a  few  days,  and 
that  he  appealed  to  the  old  scoundrel  Juet,  the  disrated 
mate,  but  in  vain.  Prickett  was  probably  spared  be- 
cause he  was  a  servant  of  Sir  Dudley  Digges,  one  of 
the  owners.  The  conspirators  trusted  that  he  would 
give  a  plausible  account  of  the  affair  on  his  return 
home.  He  never  attempted  to  warn  the  captain  of  his 
danger,  and  he  was  evidently  a  time-serving  rascal,  upon 
whom  no  reliance  could  be  placed. 

The  day  was  fixed,  and  Prickett  tell  us  that  the 
villains  passed  the  greater  part  of  the  previous  night 
in  whispered  talk.  At  that  time  of  the  year,  the  night 
was  as  light  as  the  day.  In  the  morning  they  stood 
round  the  cabin  door,  waiting  for  the  captain  to  como 
out.  Hudson  was  entirely  without  suspicion.  He  gob 
up  as  usual,  and  on  stepping  on  to  the  deck  he  was 
seized  by  Thomas  and  Bennet  the  cook,  while  Wilson, 
the  boatswain,  tied  his  hands  behind  his  back.  The  un- 
fortunate captain  must  have  struggled  and  called  for 
help,  for  the  carpenter  and  two  other  loyal  men  ran  to 
his  assistance.  They  were  overpowered  by  the  mutineers, 
who  got  possession  of  the  ship.  The  shallop  was  then 
hauled  up  alongside.  The  sick  men,  including  Mr. 
Woodhouse  the  mathematician,  were  pulled  out  of  their 
berths  and  forced  into  the  boat.  Hudson,  as  a  last 
hope,  as  soon  as  he  saw  what  was  intended,  called  to 
Prickett  to  remonstrate  with  the  mutineers.  But  the 
time-server  kept  close  in  his  cabin,  and  said  not  a  word. 
The  carpenter  would  have  been  allowed  to  remain,  but 
he  declared  that  he  would  rather  die  with  true  men  than 


232  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1C07. 

live  as  the  associate  of  cowards.  He,  and  the  two  other 
loyal  men,  were  forced  into  the  boat  with  the  four  sick. 
Then  young  Jack  Hudson,  who  had  been  his  father's 
companion  in  all  his  voyages,  and  was  now  in  his 
eighteenth  year,  was  taken  out  of  the  cabin  and  driven 
into  the  boat.  Hudson  followed.  The  shallop  was  cast 
adrift,  with  nine  men  crowded  into  her,  one  fowling- 
piece,  some  powder  and  shot,  an  iron  pot,  and  a  littlo 
meal. 

The  ship  stood  clear  of  the  ice,  and  then  hove  to, 
while  the  murderers  ransacked  the  captain's  cabin. 
This  aroused  a  hope  in  the  minds  of  the  forlorn  people 
in  the  boat  that  the  villains  had  relented.  They  pulled 
with  all  their  might,  and  soon  came  close  to  the 
ship  again.  But  they  were  doomed  to  cruel  disappoint- 
ment As  they  came  up  alongside,  the  mainsail  was  let 
run,  the  topsails  were  hoisted,  and  the  cowardly  rascals 
fled  as  if  from  an  enemy.  Hudson  and  his  doomed 
companions  were  never  heard  of  more. 

Eleven  men  remained  on  board.  Robert  Bylot,  the 
mate,  was,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  an  unwilling  spectator  of 
the  crime  that  was  perpetrated  before  his  eyes.  Juet, 
the  disrated  mate,  the  young  scoundrel  Green,  Motei', 
Pierce,  Thomas,  and  Wilson  were  the  ringleaders.  The 
cook  was  an  accomplice,  as  was  Francis  Clements,  a 
friend  of  Thomas.  Simmes  seems  merely  to  have 
acquiesced,  and  Prickett  was  a  time-server.  On  the 
29th  of  July  161 1  the  Discovery  was  hove  to  off  Capo 
Digges,  where  the  birds  breed.  The  five  ringleaders  of 
the  mutiny  went  on  shore  in  a  boat,  to  communicate 
with  a  party  of  Eskimos.  They  were  unarmed.  Two 
were  bartering  for  venison,  two  were  gathering  soi'rel, 
and    tlieie   was   a    boat   keeper.     They   were    suddeiily 


1632.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  233 

attacked  by  the  savages,  and  all  were  mortally  wounded. 
Tumbling  into  the  boat  together  she  was  shoved  off. 
The  Eskimos  then  began  shooting  at  them  with  bows 
and  arrows,  and  Green  was  killed  outright.  The  rest 
got  back  to  the  ship,  but  they  all  died  within  a  few  days. 
Seldom  has  retribution  followed  so  quickly  on  the  per- 
petration of  crime.  They  barely  survived  their  victims. 
Old  Juet,  who  was  not  on  shore  with  them,  died  on  the 
passage  home. 

The  survivors  were  Bylot  the  mate,  who  took  com- 
mand, Bennet  the  cook,  Clements,  Simmes,  and  Prickett. 
Tl'.ey  shot  about  300  birds  at  Cape  Digges,  and  put 
themselves  on  an  allowance  of  half  a  bii-d  a  day,  with  a 
little  meal.  They  returned  through  Hudson's  Strait 
and  shaped  a  course  for  Ireland.  Soon  the  meal  was 
exhausted.  Bennet  the  cook  kept  the  birds'  bones,  and 
fried  them  in  candle  grease.  The  last  bird  was  in  the 
steep  tub  when  they  sighted  Dursey  Island,  and  anchored 
in  Berehaven,  where  a  crew  was  hired  to  take  the  ship 
round  to  the  Thames.  Bjlot  and  Prickett  hurried  up  to 
London,  and  told  the  best  story  they  could  invent  to 
their  employers.  No  one  was  punished.  Prickett  wrote 
a  narrative  of  the  catastrophe.  Bylot  continued  to 
receive  appointments  from  Sir  Thomas  Smith  and  his 
colleagues.  A  younger  son  of  Plenry  Hudson  received 
employment  from  the  East  India  Companj',  on  the 
ground  that  "  the  father  had  perished  in  the  service  of 
his  country ! " 

Thus  had  bold  Henry  Hudson  followed  up  the  beacon 
light  of  Davis,  reached  the  strait  and  bay  which  im- 
mortalise his  name,  and  found  a  grave  in  the  midst  of 
his  discoveries.  His  labours  were  appreciated,  and  it 
was  resolved  that  an  expedition  should  be  despatched  to 


234  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607. 

complete  his  work  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year. 
Two  vessels  were  fitted  out,  the  Resolution  and  Dis- 
covery. The  command  of  the  expedition  was  entrusted 
to  Thomas  Button,  an  officer  of  tried  valour  and  ex- 
perience; and  it  Avas  under  the  special  patronage  of 
Prince  Henry,  who  signed  the  instructions. 

Thomas  Button  was  the  son  of  Wiles  Button  of 
Duffryn  in  Glamorganshire,  whose  family  had  been 
seated  there  for  seven  generations.  Young  Thomas, 
who  was  born  at  Duffryn,  was  sent  to  sea  in  1592.  lie 
was  in  the  West  Indies  with  Captain  Newport  in  1603, 
and  commanded  a  king's  ship  in  1609.  In  16 12  he 
Avas  appointed  to  lead  the  new  expedition  to  Hudson's 
Bay  on  board  the  liesahdiwi,  the  Discoreri/  being  com- 
manded by  Cnptain  Ingram.  A  relation  named  Gibbons 
and  a  friend  named  Hawkridge  accompanied  him,  while 
Bylot  and  Piickett,  the  survivors  of  Hudson's  fatal 
voyage,  were  on  board.  The  ships  were  supplied  with 
provisions  for  eighteen  months,  and  in  May  1612  they 
left  the  Thames. 

The  expedition  reached  Cape  Digges  without  en- 
countering any  difficulties  from  ice  in  Hudson's  Strait, 
and  remained  there  three  weeks  in  oi-der  to  put  a 
pinnace  together  that  had  been  taken  out  in  pieces. 
Button  then  entered  Hudson's  Bay,  and  proceeded  west- 
ward, discovering  the  southern  coast  of  Southampton 
Island  and  off-l}ing  islets,  to  one  of  which  Button  gave 
the  name  of  Mansell  Island,  after  his  relation  Admii-al 
Sir  Edward  Mansell ;  to  another  "  Gary's  Swan's  Nest ; " 
to  a  third,  "Hopes  Check'd,"  because  there  his  expecta- 
tions of  making  progress  received  a  check.  Bad  weather 
came  on,  and  late  in  August  Button  sought  refuge  in 
a  small  rrtck   on   the  western   side  of   Hudson's  Bay, 


1632.]  FOLLOVv'ING  UP  OF  THE  V\"ORK.  2C5 

which  was  named  Port  Nelson,  after  the  master  of  the 
Resolution,  who  died  and  was  buried  there.  He  was 
thus  the  discoverer  of  the  west  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
Hudson  himself  having  only  sailed  down  its  east  coast 
to  the  southern  extremity. 

Button  determined  to  winter  at  Port  Nelson,  and  at 
once  set  his  people  to  work  to  procure  as  much  game 
as  possible.  They  obtained  a  large  supply  of  ptarmigan, 
but  the  winter  was  very  severe,  and,  although  they  had 
fresh  food,  the  health  of  the  men  suffered  from  the 
intense  cold.  Button  kept  their  minds  employed  by 
requiring  them  to  answer  questions  relating  to  the 
voyage  and  its  objects,  and  by  thus  interesting  them 
in  the  work  upou  which  they  were  engaged.  In  June 
1613  the  ice  broke  up,  and  the  ships  left  their  winter 
quarters  and  reached  Cape  Digges.  In  returning  by 
Hudson's  Strait,  Button  discovered  that  the  land  on 
which  Cape  Chidley  is  situated  is  an  island,  and  he 
took  his  ships  through  the  strait  which  is  thus  formed. 
On  old  maps  the  island  is  called  Button's  Island,  a 
name  which  ought  to  have  been  retained.  He  returned 
to  England  in  the  autumn  of  16 13,  but  his  journal  was 
never  published.  We  are  indebted  to  Luke  Fox,  a 
later  explorer,  for  all  the  information  that  lias  reached 
us  respecting  Button's  voyage.  He  became  Admiral 
Sir  Thomas  Button,  and  was  in  command  on  the  coast 
of  Ireland  in  16 18.  He  was  Rear- Admiral  in  the  fleet 
of  Sir  Edward  Mansell,  which  was  sent  against  the 
Algerine  pirates  in  1620,  and  in  1623  was  again  em- 
ployed in  suppressing  piracy  in  the  Irish  Sea  Sir 
Thomas  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Sir  Walter  Rice  of 
Dynevor,  and,  dying  in  April  1634,  he  left  a  son  wlio 
succeeded   him    at    Duffryn.      The    expedition   of   Sir 


23G  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607. 

Thomas  Button  to  Hudson's  Bay  was  ably  conducted. 
It  resulted  in  considerable  additions  to  geographical 
knowledge  as  regards  the  southern  shores  of  Southamp- 
ton Island,  and  in  the  discovery  of  the  western  side  of 
the  bay.  Button's  relation,  Captain  Gibbons,  received 
command  of  the  Discover ij  in  1614  to  follow  up  the 
discoveries  of  his  predecessor.  But  he  was  unable  to 
enter  Hudson's  Strait,  and  was  driven  by  the  ice  into  a 
bay  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  where  he  remained  for 
twenty  weeks.  His  crew  named  the  place  "  Gibbons 
his  Hole ; "  and  on  being  released  from  the  ice,  he 
returned  home. 

The  persevering  adventurers  of  London  were  not  dis- 
couraged by  one  or  two  failures.  In  161 5  they  sent 
out  another  expedition,  consisting  of  the  Discovery, 
of  55  tons,  commanded  by  Robert  Bylot,  who  had 
served  in  the  three  previous  expeditions  under  Hudson, 
Button,  and  Gibbons  in  the  same  ship.  William  Baffin 
was  his  "  mate  and  associate,"  and  the  crew  consisted 
of  fourteen  men  and  two  boys.  Sailing  in  April  1615, 
they  sighted  Cape  Farewell  on  the  6th  of  May.  Cross- 
ing Davis  Strait,  the  Discovery  was  safely  anchored  in 
a  good  harbour  on  the  west  side  of  Resolution  Island, 
which  is  at  the  northern  entrance  of  Hudson's  Strait, 
on  the  1st  of  June.  Bylot  was  an  experienced  seaman, 
and  Baffin  was  a  scientific  navigator,  who  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  noting  everything  that  would  be  useful  to  his 
brother  sailors,  like  Davis  before  him.  They  had  some 
difficulty  with  the  ice  at  the  entrance  of  the  strait ;  but 
eventually  sailed  along  the  northern  side  until  they 
reached  a  group,  which  Baffin  named  the  Savage  Islands, 
because  they  met  with  a  party  of  Eskimos  on  the  shore. 
Continuing  a  course  westward  along  the  northern  coast, 


1632.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  237 

the  Discovery  was  closely  beset  by  the  ice  ofY  some  land 
which  BaiEn  named  "Broken  Point."  The  ship  was 
immovable  for  several  days ;  and  the  men  amused  them- 
selves on  the  ice  by  filing  at  butts  with  bows  and  arrows 
and  playing  at  football. 

Baffin  was  very  differently  emploj'ed.  He  was,  like 
his  great  predecessor  Davis,  a  seaman  who  closely 
studied  the  scientific  branch  of  his  profession,  and 
strove  to  impi-ove  the  methods  of  observing  He  was  par- 
ticularly anxious  to  test  the  various  theoretical  methods 
of  finding  longitude.  While  beset  in  the  ice  off  Broken 
Point  he  took  a  complete  lunar  observation,  and  it  is 
the  first  ever  recorded  to  have  been  taken  at  sea,  with 
the  doubtful  exception  oi  one  referred  to  by  Sarmiento. 
Baffin  took  altitudes  of  the  sun  and  moon,  and  measured 
the  distance  between  them  by  the  difference  of  azimuth. 
He  probably  adopted  this  method  because  he  possessed 
no  instrument  with  which  he  could  measure  so  large  an 
angle. 

On  the  27th  of  June  the  ice  opened  out,  and  the 
Discovery  was  able  to  proceed  on  her  voyage,  sighting 
Salisbury  Island  on  the  ist  of  July.  Advancing  aci'oss 
the  channel  they  reached  a  point  on  the  north-west  side 
of  Southampton  Island,  which  Baffin  named  Cape  Com- 
fort. Here  the  ice  was  packed  so  close  that  the  attempt 
to  proceed  fuither  was  abandoned.  Moreovei*,  the  water 
began  to  shoal,  and  land  was  seen  ahead,  which  led 
Baffin  to  suppose  that  he  was  at  the  mouth  of  a  large 
bay.  Waen  Sir  Edwai'd  Parry  was  exploring  the  same 
legion  in  1824,  he  named  the  furthest  land  seen  from 
the  Discovery  Cape  Bylot,  and  an  island  on  the  opposite 
shore,  Baffin  Island.  They  are  on  either  side  of  tlio 
entrance  to  Frozen  Strait,  the  former  on  Southampton 


238  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607. 

Island.  Passing  between  Salisbury  and  Nottingham 
Islands,  which  are  at  the  western  end  of  Hudson's 
Strait,  the  Discovery  came  to  an  anchor  at  Cape  Digges 
on  the  29th  of  July. 

The  number  of  guillemots  breeding  at  Cape  Digges 
is  almost  incredible  to  those  who  have  not  seen  it.  The 
crew  of  the  Discovery  killed  about  seventy  of  these  birds, 
but  they  could  easily  have  shot  several  hundred  if  they 
had  been  wanted.  Bylot  and  Baffin  then  shaped  a 
course  for  England,  on  their  return.  Passing  down 
Hudson's  Strait  without  any  trouble  from  ice,  they 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  sighted  Cape  Clear,  and  anchored 
in  Plymouth  Sound  on  the  8th  of  September  16 15  with- 
out the  loss  of  a  single  soul.  The  conclusion  arrived 
at  by  Baffin  respecting  a  north-west  passnge,  after  bis 
loturn  from  this  voyage,  was  that  if  there  wei-e  any 
passage  up  Hudson's  Strait  it  was  by  some  narrow  inlet, 
but  that  the  main  passage  would  be  up  Davis  Strait. 
He  was  perfectly  correct. 

The  completion  of  the  examination  of  Davis's  route 
by  way  of  the  "  Furious  Overfall  "  was  steadily  pro- 
gressing, but  after  the  return  of  Baffin  in  16 15  there 
was  a  pause  for  sixteen  years.  At  last  two  voyages 
were  planned,  one  vessel  to  sail  from  the  port  of  Bristol 
and  the  other  from  London.  The  Maria^  of  seventy 
tons,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Thomas  James, 
left  Bristol  on  the  3rd  of  May  163 1.  James  had  made 
no  study  of  previous  voyages  to  the  north,  entered  no 
seamen  acquainted  with  ice  navigation,  and  when  ho 
encountered  drifting  ice-floes  in  Hudson's  Strait  he  was 
quite  helpless.  At  length  he  reached  Cape  Digges  ou 
the  15th  of  July. 

Luke  Fox  was  a  man  of  a  very  different  stamp.     He 


1632.]  FOLLCWIXG  LP  OF  THE  WOKK.  239 

was  a  Yorkshireman,  clear-headed,  intelligent,  and  full 
of  enthusiasm  to  advance  the  cause  of  Arctic  discovery. 
He  made  a  special  and  most  diligent  study  of  previous 
voyages,  especially  of  the  enterprises  of  John  Davis.  It 
is  to  Fox  that  we  owe  a  knowledge  of  the  important 
expedition  of  Sir  Thomas  Button,  and  of  other  voyages 
which  would  otherwise  have  been  lost  to  us.  Besides 
being  a  thorough  seaman  and  an  ardent  explorer,  he 
was  a  quaint  and  very  entertaining  writer.  If  he  had 
a  fault  it  was  that  he  possibly  had  too  good  an  opinion 
of  himself.  He  had  been  zealously  urging  the  despatch 
of  a  new  expedition  for  several  years.  At  length  he 
succeeded  in  interesting  Mr.  Henry  Briggs  in  northern 
discovery,  and  the  great  mathematician  not  only  wrote 
an  able  treatise  on  the  subject,  but  also  induced  Sir 
John  Brooke  to  join  in  the  venture.  A  vessel  named  the 
Charles,  of  80  tons,  was  fitted  out,  provisioned  for  eighteen 
months,  and  manned  with  twenty  sailors  and  two  boys. 
Old  Mr.  Briggs  died  while  the  ship  was  being  prepared 
for  sea.  As  the  introducer  of  the  use  of  logarithms 
he  was  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors  the  navy  has 
ever  had.  His  place  was  taken  by  Sir  Thomas  Roe,  the 
eminent  traveller  and  diplomatist,  who  entered  heartily 
into  the  project,  and,  with  Sir  John  Wolstenholme, 
superintended  the  fitting  out  of  the  ship.  The  Master 
and  Brethren  of  the  Trinity  House  also  gave  their 
help. 

Captain  Fox  was  perfectly  satisfied  with  his  stores 
and  provisions.  He  tells  us  that  he  had  "excellent  fat 
beef,  strong  beer,  good  wheaten  bread,  Iceland  ling, 
butter  and  cheese  of  the  best,  admirable  sack  and  aqua 
vitae,  pease,  oat  meal,  wheat  meal,  oil,  balsams,  gums, 
unguents,    plasters,    potions,    and    purging    pills.       My 


240  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607. 

cnrpenter  was  fitted  from  the  tliickest  bolt  to  the  tin 
tack,  luy  gunner  from  the  sabre  to  the  pistol,  my  boat- 
swain from  the  cable  to  the  sail  twine,  my  cook  from 
the  caldron  to  the  spoon." 

Never  was  a  commander  so  perfectly  satisfied  with 
himself,  his  crew,  and  everything  on  board.  It  is  quite 
pleasant  to  read  his  journal.  All  was  right  that  had 
anything  to  do  with  him,  and  his  geese  were  all  swans. 
On  the  3rd  of  May  1631  this  ablest  of  commanders, 
with  the  best  of  ships,  and  the  most  excellent  provi- 
sions, sailed  from  Deptford.  He  dropped  his  name 
of  Luke,  and  called  himself  North  West  Fox.  But  if 
he  was  conceited,  he  had  something  to  be  conceited  of, 
and  he  was  an  able  and  accomplished  man. 

On  the  1 8th  of  June  the  Charles  was  nearing  her 
work.  Those  "overfalls  and  races  of  tide,"  so  fully 
described  by  Davis,  were  encountered  in  the  right 
latitude,  and  Cape  Chidley  was  sighted  on  the  20th. 
Fox  was  now  about  to  try  his  turn  at  following  up  the 
beacon-light  of  John  Davis.  He  found  a  good  deal  of 
ice  in  Hudson's  Strait,  as  is  usual  at  that  time  of  year, 
but  it  was  in  small  pieces  floating  apart,  and  was  no 
hindrance  to  navigation.  On  the  25th  of  June  the  sea 
was  calm,  the  sky  clear,  and  pieces  of  spotless  ice  were 
floating  on  the  water ;  a  lovely  scene  when  the  sun  was 
seen  to  touch  the  horizon.  Fox  was  a  classical  scholar, 
a  careful  observer,  and  he  appreciated  the  beauties  of 
nature.  "  The  sun  kist  Thetis  in  our  sight,"  he  wrote ; 
"  the  same  greeting  was  5°  west  from  the  north,  and  at 
the  same  instant  the  rainbow  was  in  appearance  I  think 
to  canopy  them  a  bed."  Next  morning  the  sun  rose 
clear;  ''and  so  continued  all  this  cold  virgin  day;  but 
uow  the  frost  takes  care  that  there  shall  no  more  pitch 


1632.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  2J1 

run  from  off  the  sunny  side  of  the  ship."  The  Charles 
was  beset  in  the  strait  for  several  days,  but  Fox  judged, 
from  the  appearance  of  the  sky,  that  the  northern  side 
■was  clear  of  ice.  On  the  15th  of  July,  the  passage  of 
Hudson's  Strait  was  achieved,  and  the  ship  was  in  sight 
of  the  islands  at  its  western  entrance,  named  Digges, 
Salisbury,  Nottingham,  Mansell,  and  Southampton. 
"They  were  so  named,"  says  Fox,  "as  a  small  remem- 
brance of  the  charge,  countenance,  and  instruction  given 
to  the  enterprise,  and  which,  though  small,  neither  time 
nor  fame  ought  to  suffer  oblivion  to  bury.  For  when- 
soever it  shall  please  God  to  ripen  those  seeds,  and  make 
them  ready  for  his  sickle  ;  he  whom  he  hath  appointed 
to  be  the  happier  reaper  of  this  crop,  must  remember  to 
acknowledge  that  those  honourable  and  worthy  person- 
ages were  the  first  advancers."  Most  true  !  neither  the 
advancers  and  liberal  merchants  who  supplied  the  means, 
nor  the  illustrious  seamen  who  made  the  discoveries, 
should  be  forgotten  by  posterity.  It  is  to  them  that  we 
owe  those  solid  foundations  of  national  enterprise,  and 
of  love  for  the  common  weal,  upon  which  the  super- 
structure of  the  British  Empire  has  been  erected  by 
their  descendants. 

On  the  2ist  of  July  the  Charles  was  off  the  island 
named  "  Gary's  Swan's  Nest "  by  Button ;  and  on  the 
27th  another  island  was  discovered  and  named  "Sir 
Thomas  Roe's  Welcome,"  in  64°  10' N.  This  designation 
has  since  been  transferred  to  the  channel  in  which  the 
island  is  situated,  and  as  such  it  often  occurs  in  the 
narratives  of  more  recent  northern  voyages. 

Coasting  round  the  western  shore,  he  gave  the  names 
of  "  Brooke  Gobham  "  and  "  Briggs  his  Mathematics  " 
to  two  other  islands,  and  he  then  proceeded  along  the 

Q 


£42  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607. 

western  shore  of  Hudson's  Bay  as  far  soutli  as  Port 
Nelson,  where  Button's  expedition  wintered.  No  sign 
of  any  opening  to  the  westward  appeared,  and  Fox  was 
making  his  w.'iy  across  Hudson's  Bay  again  when  he  fell 
in  with  the  Maria,  commanded  by  Captain  James,  of 
Bristol,  on  the  ist  of  August.  Next  day  Captain  Fox 
dined  on  boaid  the  M'lria,  and  had  a  cordial  reception. 
He  found  the  ship  ill  found,  and  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  captain  was  no  seaman.  The  cabin  was  so 
small  that  they  were  obliged  to  dine  between  decks,  and 
though  the  ship  was  only  under  courses,  she  took  in 
such  seas  that  "  sauce  would  not  ba^^e  been  wanting  if 
there  had  been  roast  mutton."  "Their  ship  took  its 
liquor  as  kindly  as  themselves,  for  her  nose  was  no 
sooner  out  of  the  pitcher  but  her  neb,  like  the  duck's, 
was  in  it  again."  Fox  doubted  whether  it  would  be 
better  for  the  Maria  to  be  beset  in  the  ice,  where  the 
crew  would  be  kept  from  putrefaction  by  the  piercing 
air,  or  to  be  left  in  the  open  sea,  where  they  would  be 
kept  sweet  by  being  thus  daily  pickled.  He  was  very 
facetious  in  his  remarks  on  the  Bristol  ship  and  her 
crew,  which  he  thus  encountered  in  that  solitary  sea, 
and  after  being  with  them  for  seventeen  hour.-^,  he 
parted  company  with  his  rival  and  stood  southward 
along  the  land.  He  established  the  fact  that  there  was 
no  opening  along  the  western  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay 
from  65°  30'  to  55°  10'  N.,  a  distance  of  620  miles. 

Having  completed  this  examination,  Fox  steered 
noi'thwards,  and  was  in  sight  of  "Cary's  Swan's  Nest" 
again  by  the  7th  of  September.  He  then  proceeded  up 
the  eastern  side  of  the  coast-line,  which  trends  north- 
waids  from  the  western  entrance  of  Hudson's  Strait,  the 
whole  of  which  was  a  new  discovery.     Passing  a  head- 


1632.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  243 

land,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  "Lord  Weston's 
Foreland,"  Fox  reached  a  point  in  66°  47'  N.,  where 
the  land  began  to  trend  to  the  south-east,  and  this 
he  christened  "  Fox  his  Farthest."  In  after  years  Sir 
Edward  Parry  gave  the  name  of  Fox's  Channel  to  the 
great  opening  leading  to  "Fox  his  Farthest;"  and  our 
gallant  Yorkshireman  has  this  credit  down  to  the  pre- 
sent day,  that  his  Farthest  is  still  an  Ultima  Tliule, 
and  that  it  has  never  since  been  visited  by  any  later 
explorer. 

Fox  was  sent  out  because  Sir  Thomas  Button  had 
reported  that  the  tide  off  Nottingham  Island  came  from 
the  north-west,  and  that  consequently  there  w;is  proba- 
bility of  a  passage  in  that  direction.  But  by  careful 
observations  Fox  had  ascertained  that  the  tide  came 
from  the  south-east  in  that  locality,  and  he  therefore 
concluded  that  he  ought  to  return  to  England.  Parry, 
in  1824,  observed  that  the  tides  were  lapid  and  very 
irregular,  and  he  had  little  doubt  that  this  irregularity 
was  caused  by  a  meeting  of  the  tides.  The  flood  comes 
from  the  northward  down  Fox's  Channel,  and  meets  the 
rapid  stream  which  sets  in  from  Hudson's  Strait. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  after  having  well  weighed 
all  considerations  vvliich  might  make  it  advisable  to 
winter,  and  the  strong  reasons  against  that  course, 
North-West  Fox  decided  upon  returning  home,  and  he 
made  sail  for  England,  That  morning  there  was  a  bril- 
liant sunri.se,  which  gave  rise  to  the  following  strange 
conceit  fi-om  the  pen  of  the  old  seaman  :  "  This  morning 
Aurora  blusht  as  though  she  had  ushered  her  master 
from  some  unchaste  lodging,  and  the  air  so  silent  as 
though  all  those  handmaids  had  promised  secresy." 
With  a  fair  wind  the  Charles  ran  down  Hudson's  Strait 


214  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607, 

without  any  hindrance  from  the  ice,  sighting  Resolution 
Island,  on  the  north  side  of  the  eastern  entrance,  on  the 
27th.  She  arrived  safely  in  the  Downs,  without  losing 
a  single  soul,  and  with  all  the  crew  sound  and  well. 
Fox  truly  claimed  that  he  had  "proceeded  in  these 
discoveries  farther  than  any  of  his  predecessors,  in  less 
time  and  at  less  charge ;  that  he  cleared  up  all  the 
e^:pected  hopes  from  the  west  side  of  Hudson's  Bay ; " 
and,  he  could  now  add,  he  discovered  a  coast-line  on. the 
east  side  of  the  channel  bearing  his  name,  which  has 
never  since  been  explored  or  visited. 

The  cruise  of  the  Maria  was  not  so  fortunate.  After 
parting  company  with  Captain  Fox  in  Hudson's  Bay, 
she  struck  on  a  rock  Avhen  Captain  James  was  in  a 
deep  sleep.  The  ship  seems  to  have  been  badly  handled. 
The  sails  were  thrown  aback,  but  without  effect.  They 
were  then  furled  and  an  anchor  was  laid  out  astern. 
All  the  water  was  started  and  the  coal  was  thrown 
overboai'd.  Then  all  hands  went  to  the  capstan  and 
hove  I'ound  with  such  good  will  that  the  cable  parted. 
Eventually  the  ship  floated  off ;  and  Captain  James 
controlled  his  passion,  and  checked  some  bad  counsel 
that  was  given  him  to  revenge  himself  on  the  officer  of 
the  watch.  The  fault  was  his  own.  He  ought  not  to 
have  been  in  bed  and  asleep  when  the  ship  was  so  near 
the  land.  He  found  a  secure  harbour  in  the  extreme 
south  of  Hudson's  Bay,  protected  by  an  island  after- 
wards named  Charlton  Island,  and  there  he  determined 
to  winter.  During  October  and  November  it  was  in- 
tensely cold  and  much  snow  fell.  Yet  the  country  was 
by  no  means  Arctic  in  character.  There  were  woods  of 
fir-trees,  and  the  crew  was  able  to  cut  plenty  of  fuel. 
A  hut  was  built  on  shore  for  the  sick,  in  which  a  large 


1632.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  245 

fire  was  kept  burning.  The  first  man  to  succumb  to 
the  miseries  of  the  situation  was  the  gunner,  who  sank 
gi-adually  in  spite  of  being  allowed  to  drink  nothing 
but  sack.  The  ship  was  driven  on  shore,  and  Captain 
James  caused  the  provisions  to  be  landed.  But  the 
cold  increased,  they  could  cut  vinegar  and  wine  with 
hatchets,  and  were  in  a  condition  of  extreme  misery. 
They  were  now  all  collected  in  a  house  they  had  built, 
in  the  shelter  of  a  wood  which  they  named  "  Winter's 
Forest "  in  honour  of  Sir  John  Winter.  The  house 
was  under  a  clump  of  trees,  and  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  beach  where  the  ship  was  on  shore.  It  was 
about  twenty  feet  square,  built  of  upright  posts  with 
the  sides  wattled  with  boughs,  and  about  six  feet  high. 
The  roof  was  of  rafters  and  boughs,  the  whole  covered 
over  with  the  mainsail.  In  the  inside  the  bonnet  sails 
formed  the  walls,  and  bed  places  were  built  round  three 
sides.  The  hearth  was  in  the  centre.  A  second  house 
■was  built  with  the  foresail  for  a  roof.  A  store-house 
was  also  constructed,  to  receive  all  the  provisions  and 
stores  from  the  ship.  Before  Christmas  the  houses 
were  covered  deep  with  snow. 

In  February  the  scurvy  began  to  show  itself,  and 
before  long  two-thirds  of  the  crew  were  down  with  it. 
Thus  the  miserable  winter  passed  on,  and  by  the  end 
of  April  the  snow  had  ceased,  and  rain  began  to  fall. 
They  obtained  very  few  ptarmigan  or  game  of  any  kind, 
and  lived  on  the  salt  beef  and  oatmeal  they  had  brought 
from  England,  with  pork,  fish,  and  boiled  pease.  All  the 
men  who  were  able  to  move  were  obliged  to  work  on 
board,  pumping  and  digging  the  ice  out  of  the  ship. 
On  the  6th  of  May,  John  Warden,  the  master's  mate, 
died,  and  was  buried  on  the  summit  of  a  bleak  rising 


216  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1607. 

ground,  which  Mas  named  Brandon  Hill.  A  few  days 
afterwards  the  carpenter  died,  and  was  interred  beside 
the  master's  mate.  The  gunner's  body,  which  had  been 
buried  at  sea,  was  found  imbedded  in  the  ice  under  the 
gun-room  ports.  It  was  dug  out  and  placed  in  the 
earth,  by  the  side  of  his  shipmates  on  Brandon  Hill. 
As  the  weather  got  warmer  the  work  of  refitting  the 
ship  advanced.  Captain  James  became  more  hopeful; 
he  hoisted  the  ensign  on  the  birthday  of  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  and  called  the  place  Charlestown,  which,  by 
contraction,  became  Charlton  Island.  By  the  8th  of 
June  the  water  was  pumped  out  of  the  ship,  but  she 
was  aground  in  the  sand,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
lighten  her  by  taking  out  all  the  ballast,  in  order  to  get 
her  afloat.  This  operation  was  successfully  performed, 
the  ship  was  rigged,  and  the  stores  were  brought  on 
board.  As  the  snow  disappeared,  vetches  and  scurvy- 
grass  w^ere  found  in  considerable  quantities,  which  con- 
duced to  the  recovery  of  the  sick. 

On  the  ist  of  July  1632,  Captain  James  took  a  last 
look  at  the  graves  of  his  companions,  and,  returning  to 
the  ship,  made  sail  for  Bristol,  where  he  arrived  safely 
in  September. 

By  these  successive  voyages,  the  discoveries  were 
completed  in  the  direction  pointed  out  by  Davis,  within 
a  quarter  of  a  century  of  the  death  of  that  great 
navigator.  Hudson  and  Button,  Gibbon  and  Bylot, 
Baffin,  Fox,  and  James  were  the  men  who  followed  up 
the  route  which  Davis  had  pointed  out.  They  dis- 
covered Hudson's  Bay,  with  its  islands  and  coast  lines. 
They  opened  up  a  vast  region  for  development,  and  as  a 
field  for  future  enterprise.     They  thus  increased  geo- 


1632.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WOEK.  217 

graphical  knowledge,   and  prepared  the  way  »or   moro 
complete  modern  research. 

The  results  of  their  labours  were  valuable  and  im- 
portant. A  great  commercial  company  was  formed 
which  carried  on  a  lucrative  tiade  by  way  of  Hudson's 
Bay  and  Strait  for  two  centuries ;  and  it  is  probable 
that,  in  the  near  future,  a  still  more  important  route  for 
commerce  will  be  established  by  Hudson's  Strait,  which 
will  carry  the  harvests  of  the  far  west  to  the  markets  of 
Europe.  Such  are  the  far-reaching  consequences  arising 
from  the  discovery  of  the  "  Furious  Overfall,"  and  of 
the  opening  near  Cape  Chidley,  by  John  Davis. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE   WORK  OF  DAVIS. 

II. 

By  "Sanderson  nis  Hope." 

"  No  ice  towards  the  north,  but  a  great  sen,  free,  large, 
very  salt  and  blue,  and  of  an  unsearchable  depth." 
This  was  what  John  Davis  saw  from  the  base  of  that 
mighty  cliflF  which  he  named  "Sanderson  his  Hope." 
The  cliff  was  his  beacon,  pointing  to  the  route  which 
filled  him  with  most  hope.  The  strait  at  whose  entrance 
he  described  the  "  Furious  Overfall,"  was  his  alternative 
I'oute.  It  was  followed  up  to  important  discoveries  by 
Hudson  and  his  successors.  But  the  fairest  promise 
came  from  the  blue  sea  of  unsearchable  depth  which 
stretched  northward  from  Hope  Sanderson.  It  was  to 
this  route  that  Davis  referred  in  his  last  appeal  to  the 
Lords  of  the  Council,  for  a  renewal  of  Arctic  enterprise. 
Ten  years  after  his  death,  a  worthy  successor  was  found 
who  passed  onwards  beyond  Davis  Strait,  and  completed 
the  work  of  John  Davis  by  his  route  of  Hope  Sanderson. 
William  Baffin  resembled  his  illustrious  predecessor, 
in  character  and  disposition,  more  closely  than  any  other 
navigator  of  the  seventeenth  century.  He  had  the  same 
enthusiastic  zeal,  the  same  mildness  and  geniality,  and 

248 


l609-22.]        FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  219 

the  same  devotion  to  the  scientific  branch  of  his  pro- 
fession. Unfortunately  we  know  nothing  of  Baffin 
until  we  are  introduced  to  him  as  an  experienced  sea- 
man in  the  prime  of  life.  There  is  some  slight  reason 
for  the  belief  that  he  was  a  native  of  London  or  West- 
minster, of  Welsh  extraction,  and  that  he  lived  with 
his  wife  in  the  parish  of  St.  Thomas  Apostle  in  the  city, 
near  Queenhithe.  Here  his  daughter  Susan  appears  to 
have  been  born  in  October  1609.  But  Baffin  himself 
must  have  been  constantly  at  sea,  and  he  probably  raised 
himself,  by  his  good  conduct  and  talent,  from  a  very 
humble  position.  Purchas  speaks  of  him  as  "that 
learned  unlearned  mariner  and  mathematician,  wanting 
art  of  words."  No  doubt  he  was  self-educated,  which 
very  much  enhanced  the  merit  of  his  valuable  observa- 
tions and  discoveries. 

Baffin's  first  recorded  voyage  was  with  Captain  Hall 
to  Greenland  in  1609.  James  Hall  was  a  Yorkshire- 
man,  and  almost  certainly  a  native  of  Hull.  His  first 
recorded  voyage  was  as  chief  pilot  of  an  expedition  de- 
spatched from  Denmai'k,  by  King  Christian  IV.,  in  1605, 
to  discover  the  lost  colony  of  Greenland.  It  reached 
the  western  coast  of  that  little  known  land,  near  the 
site  of  the  modern  Danish  settlement  of  Holsteinborg, 
and  Hall,  having  had  much  communication  with  the 
Eskimos,  wrote  a  very  interesting  account  of  them.  The 
King  of  Denmark  fitted  out  a  second  expedition  under 
Admiral  Lindenov  in  1606,  and  Hall  was  again  em- 
ployed as  pilot.  They  visited  the  same  part  of  Green- 
land, and  in  their  intercourse  with  the  natives  they 
killed  several,  and  carried  off  others,  with  their  LayaJcs. 
This  conduct  led  to  fatal  retaliation  when  Hall  appeared 
among  the  Eskimos  in  a  subsequent  voyage.     In  1607 


250  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1609. 

King  Christian  gave  up  his  attempts  to  find  the  lost 
colony,  and  James  Hall  returned  to  England,  eager  to 
embark  once  more  on  discoveries  in  the  direction  of 
Greenland.  His  faithful  follower,  William  Huntriss,  a 
Scarborough  lad,  who  had  accompanied  him  in  all  his 
voj'ages,  and  had  become  so  proficient  as  a  navigator 
that  King  Christian  had  granted  him  a  special  allow- 
ance, returned  with  Hall, 

In  16 1 2  Hall  induced  four  great  merchant  princes, 
Sir  Thomas  Smith,  Sir  James  Lancaster,  who  commanded 
the  first  voyage  of  the  East  India  Company,  Sir  William 
Cockayne,  and  Mr.  Ball  to  join  with  him  in  an  expedi- 
tion to  Greenland,  to  search  for  mineral  ores.  Two 
vessels,  called  the  Patience  and  Hearfs  Ease,  were  fitted 
out  at  Hull,  and  William  Baifin  was  pilot  of  Hall's 
ship,  the  Patieiice.  Andrew  Barker  commanded  the 
Heart's  Ease,  with  William  Huntriss  as  his  mate,  and 
John  Gatonby,  who  kept  a  journal  which  has  been 
published  in  Churchill's  Collection,  was  quarter-master. 
The  narrative  of  Baffin  himself  commences  on  July  8, 
16 1 2,  when  the  expedition  had  alread}'  arrived  in  Cockia 
(correctly  Cockayne)  Sound,  on  the  west  coast  of  Green- 
land, where  the  Danish  settlement  of  Sukkertoppen  is 
now  situated. 

Baffin  is  first  introduced  to  us,  on  this  bleak  Green- 
land coast,  making  preparations  to  take  an  observa- 
tion for  finding  the  longitude.  He  is  thus  brought  to 
our  notice  as  an  ingenious  and  accomplished  nautical 
astronomer.  The  first  part  of  the  observation  he  de- 
scribes, is  that  for  finding  the  time  and  place  from  the 
altitude  of  a  heavenly  body,  the  latitude  and  declination 
being  known.  But  his  method  of  finding  the  longitude 
by  lunar  culmination  is  unsuited  to  purposes  of  naviga- 


1622.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK,  251 

tion,  although  his  record  of  it  is  an  interesting  proof  of 
his  zeal  and  ingenuity  as  an  observer.  He  says  of  it, 
"This  finding  of  the  longitude,  I  confess,  is  somewhat 
difficult  and  troublesome  j  but  if  it  be  carefully  looked 
unto,  and  exactly  wrought,  there  would  be  no  great 
error,  if  your  ephemerides  be  true." 

On  the  2 1st  of  July  the  two  ships  anchored  in 
Kommel's  Fiord,  the  present  Holsteinborg ;  and  about 
forty  Eskimos  came  to  trade.  When  they  saw  Captain 
Hall  in  one  of  the  boats,  an  Eskimo  gave  him  a  fatal 
"Wound  with  a  dart  from  a  distance  of  four  yards.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  an  act  of  vengeance  by 
one  whose  relation  had  been  killed  or  kidnapped  by 
Hall  during  his  Danish  voyage ;  for  the  Eskimos  made 
no  attempt  to  harm  any  one  else.  Hall  lingered  for  a 
day,  his  last  wish  being  that  Andrew  Barker  should 
succeed  him,  and  that  3-oung  Huntriss  should  be  master 
of  the  Heart's  Ea.^e.  There  were  some  objections  raised 
against  Barker  by  the  men,  but  the  officers  supported 
him.  He  was  an  old  and  experienced  seaman,  was 
three  times  Warden  of  the  Trinity  House  at  Hull,  and 
presented  that  institution  with  an  Eskimo  kayak,  which 
still  hangs  from  the  ceiling  of  one  of  the  rooms.  After 
Hall's  death  some  search  was  made  for  the  mines 
reported  by  the  Danes,  but  it  became  evident  that  they 
had  mistaken  the  mica,  often  found  in  shining  masses 
in  clefts  of  the  gneiss,  for  silver  ore.  It  was  clearly  a 
fruitless  quest,  and  the  ships  therefore  returned  home, 
the  Patience  arriving  at  Hull  in  September  i6 1  2.  Baffin 
concludes  his  journal  with  some  account  of  Greenland, 
its  physical  aspect,  plants  and  animals,  and  of  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  Eskimos.  He  mentions 
having  seen,  some  forty  miles  up  the  fiord  he  named 


252  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1C09. 

Ball's  River,  a  small  coppice  of  trees  six  or  seven  feet 
high.  The  tallest  tree  ever  seen  by  Dr.  Rink  in  Green- 
land was  a  birch  fourteen  feet  high  in  60°  N.  [Betula 
aljjestris),  but  it  is  not  found  north  of  62°  N.  Baffin 
also  mentions  the  dwarf  willow,  the  small  berry  {^Imjie- 
trum  nijruin),  and  the  angelica,  which  he  found  in 
many  places,  and  observed  in  the  boats  of  the  natives, 
showing  that  it  was  used  by  them.  The  young  stalks, 
being  brittle  and  sweet,  are  eaten  raw,  and  the  name 
quan,  which  is  Norse,  points  to  its  introduction  into 
Greenland  by  the  Normans.  Baffin  mentions  having 
seen  reindeer,  although  they  are  generally  far  inland, 
near  the  foot  of  the  glaciers,  and  he  adds  that  white  foxes 
and  hares  are  common.  He  gives  a  graphic  description 
of  the  Eskimo  Jcayaks  and  umenalcs,  of  their  winter  iglas 
and  summer  tents,  of  their  rites  and  customs  respecting 
burials,  and  of  their  superstitions. 

The  next  voyage  in  which  Baffin  was  employed  was 
in  the  service  of  the  Muscovy  Company.  A  fleet  of 
seven  ships  was  fitted  out  in  161 3,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Benjamin  Joseph,  who  had  the  Tiger,  of  260 
tons,  with  Baffin  as  pilot.  They  left  the  Medway  on 
the  13th  of  May,  and  sighted  Spitzbergen  on  the  30th, 
the  object  being  to  catch  whales  in  the  Spitzbergen 
waters.  Twenty-four  Biscayans,  who  were  in  those 
days  the  most  expert  whale-fishers  in  Europe,  had  been 
engaged  to  serve  in  the  fleet,  and  on  the  4th  of  June 
the  first  whale  was  killed.  It  seems  that  the  Biscayans, 
natives  of  villages  on  the  coasts  of  Guipuzcoa  and  Biscay, 
went  away  in  boats  to  look  out  for  whales  in  the  offing, 
and  were  called  "our  whale- stickers,"  while  the  English 
part  of  the  crew  took  the  casks  and  coppers  on  shoi-e  for 
melting  blubber.     The  English  commander  took  posses- 


I622.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  253 

sion  of  the  land  in  the  name  of  his  king,  and  claimed 
the  right  of  ordering  the  ships  of  all  other  countries  to 
leave  the  Spitzbergen  seas.  Several  Spanish  vessels 
were  met  with,  and  ships  from  Bordeaux,  St.  Jean  de 
Luz,  and  Holland.  They  meekly  obeyed  as  a  rule,  and 
Captain  Joseph  succeeded  in  carrying  things  with  a  high 
hand,  either  sending  them  away  or  allowing  them  to 
remain  on  such  conditions  as  he  proposed  to  them.  They 
were  to  kill  eight  whales  for  the  Muscovy  Company,  and 
after  that  as  many  as  they  could  get  for  themselves. 
On  this  plan  Captain  Joseph  got  full  ladings  of  whale 
oil  for  his  ships.  They  returned  to  the  Thames  on  the 
6th  of  September. 

While  Baffin  was  on  the  west  coast  of  Spitzbergen  he 
made  regular  and  very  careful  observations  for  latitude 
with  a  quadrant  four  feet  in  semidiameter,  as  well  as 
observations  for  variation  and  dip  of  the  magnetic 
needle.  He  also  adopted  an  ingenious  method  of  observ- 
ing the  refraction  of  the  sun.  He  first  obtained  the 
latitude,  and  then  took  the  difference  between  the  co- 
latitude  and  the  declination,  corrected  for  the  instant 
when  he  observed  the  sun  on  mci-idian  below  the  pole 
to  have  one-fifth  of  its  diameter  above  the  horizon. 
Then  dividing  the  whole  diameter  of  the  sun  into  fifths, 
he  calculated  that  the  sun's  centre  was  three-tenths 
of  its  whole  diameter  below  the  horizon.  Subtracting 
three-tenths  of  the  difference  between  the  co-latitude 
and  the  declination  from  that  difference,  he  got  the 
approximate  refraction.  It  was  in  these  special  obser- 
vations, made  in  addition  to  the  regular  navigating  work 
of  the  ship,  that  Baffin  showed  his  inventive  talent,  and 
his  untiring  zeal  for  the  cause  of  science.  Baffin  him- 
self wrote  the  narrative  of  Joseph's  voyage. 


254  MFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1609. 

In  1 6 14  Baffin  undertook  a  second  voyage  to  the  west 
coast  of  Spitzbergen  as  pilot,  on  board  the  Thomasine, 
forming  one  of  a  fleet  of  ten  ships,  again  commanded 
by  Captain  Joseph.  Leaving  the  Thames  on  the  4th  of 
May,  the  ships  were  beset  in  the  ice  from  the  28th  to 
the  2nd  of  June,  when  the  Tliomasine  got  into  the  open 
sea,  and  readied  the  Foreland,  the  northern  end  of 
Prince  Charles  Island,  on  the  west  coast  of  Spitzbergen, 
which  was  the  usual  place  of  rendezvous.  Baffin  was 
sent  in  a  shallop  as  far  as  Hakluyt  Headland,  the 
north-western  point  of  Spitzbergen,  to  examine  the  state 
of  the  ice,  but  he  found  it  close  pressed  on  the  land,  so 
that  it  would  not  be  possiible  for  the  ships  to  pass  along 
the  northern  coast. 

In  July  it  was  resolved  that  two  shallops  should  be 
despatched  to  explore  the  northern  coa.st,  one  under  the 
command  of  Baffin,  and  the  other  under  llobert  Fotherby, 
the  master's  mate.  The  ship  was  left  in  a  harbour, 
the  two  shallops  were  provisioned  for  several  days,  and 
they  succeeded  in  advancing  along  the  northern  coast  of 
Spitzbergen,  as  far  as  Wyche's  Sound  (the  Wijde  Bay  of 
modern  maps),  where  they  landed,  and  walked  several 
miles  over  the  hills.  From  this  point  of  vantage  the 
Seven  Islands,  and  the  northern  point  of  North  East 
Land,  would  have  been  visible.  Returning  to  the  ship 
they  proceeded  with  the  fishery  until  near  the  end  of 
the  season,  when  another  bold  attempt  was  made  to  ex- 
plox-e  the  northern  coast.  The  weather  became  unusually 
warm  in  August.  On  the  27  th  there  was  a  gale  from 
the  S.S.W.,  and  the  Tliomasine,  in  company  with  the 
HeurVs-ea>^e — her  chummy  ship — made  sail  round  Hak- 
luyt Headland,  and  along  the  north  coast  of  Spitzbergen, 
and  got  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  Sir  Thomas  Smith's  Inlet, 


l622.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  255 

which  is  improperly  called  Hinlopen  Strait  on  modern 
charts.  The  wind  then  shifted  to  the  east  and  they  were 
obliged  to  return,  but  not  before  having  examined  the 
whole  northern  coast  of  the  main  island.  In  the  afternoon 
of  the  29th  Hakluyt  Head  bore  S.E.  The  weather  was 
calm  and  comparatively  warm,  as  they  shaped  a  southeily 
course,  being  homeward  bound.  A  gale  was  encountered 
in  mid  ocean,  which  increased  to  a  storm,  and  the  men 
were  not  consoled  by  the  sight  of  St.  Elmo's  light,  or 
the  Corpo  Santo,  as  they  called  it,  which  the  master  saw 
upon  the  fore  bonnet.  English  seamen  believed  that  it 
always  presaged  a  coming  storm ;  and  the  omen  was 
verified  by  the  foul  weather  continuing,  and  the  sea 
rising  so  that  they  were  obliged  to  lie  to  under  their 
foresail ;  and  afterwards  under  no  canvas  for  five  hours, 
"  lying  a  hull,"  as  it  was  called.  But  the  voyage  at 
length  came  to  an  end,  and  on  the  4th  of  October  the 
Tho'niasine  arrived  off  Wapping,  with  all  her  men  in 
perfect  health.  Her  journal  was  written  by  E,oberfc 
Fotherby,  the  master's  mate,  and  published  in  Purchas. 
Baffin  had  now  made  three  voyages  to  the  Arctic 
Regions.  He  had  visited  the  coast  of  Greenland,  and 
passed  two  summers  on  the  west  and  north  coasts  of 
Spitzbergen,  When,  therefore,  the  company  for  the 
discovery  of  the  North-^Vest  Passage  resolved  to  send 
out  the  Discoreri/  under  the  command  of  Robert  Bylot 
in  16 15,  William  Baffin  was  selected  to  accompany  him, 
and  received  the  appointment  of  pilot.  This  voyage  has 
already  been  noticed  in  the  previous  chapter.  Its  whole 
history  was  written  by  Baffin  himself,  together  with  a 
tabulated  log-book,  and  a  coloured  chart  of  Hudson's 
Strait.  This  is  the  only  one  of  Baffin's  numerous  charts 
that  ha.s  been  preserved,  and  it  is  now  among  the  manu- 


256  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1609. 

scripts  in  the  British  Museum.  The  coasts  are  coloui'ed 
and  shaded,  and  the  track  of  the  Discovery  is  shown  by 
a  red  dotted  line.  When  Sir  Edward  Parry  went  over 
the  same  ground  he  bore  testimony  to  the  accuracy  of 
his  predecessor,  confirmed  his  tidal  observations,  and 
named  the  most  distant  land  visible  from  the  point 
where  the  Discovery  turned  back,  in  honour  of  By  lot  and 
Baffin. 

On  the  return  of  the  Discovery,  in  the  autumn  of 
1 6 15,  preparations  were  made  for  Baffin's  fifth  and  most 
important  Arctic  voyage.  He  was  now  to  follow  up  the 
beacon-light  of  Davis,  represented  by  "  Sanderson  his 
Hope."  He  had  been  well  trained  for  the  work  by 
previous  navigation  in  the  ice ;  and  he  had  that  love  for 
his  profession,  and  especially  for  the  scientific  branch 
of  it,  which  made  him  a  man  after  Davis's  own  heart. 
He  may  have  been  a  self-taught  man,  but  he  had  so  far 
educated  himself  as  to  be  able  to  write  letters  which  are 
not  only  well  expressed,  but  are  graced  with  classical 
allusions.  Like  Davis  he  was  in  advance  of  his  con- 
temporaries as  an  astronomical  observer. 

The  voyage  of  1616  was  undertaken  by  Sir  Thomas 
Smith,  Sir  Francis  Jones,  Sir  Dudley  Digges,  and  Sir 
John  Wolstenholme.  As  before  Robert  Bylot  was 
appointed  master,  and  AVilliam  Baffin  again  became 
pilot  of  the  Discovery,  of  fifty-five  tons,  with  a  crew  of 
sixteen  men.  Baffin's  papers  and  maps  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Purchas,  who  published,  in  his  "  Pilgrimes," 
the  great  navigator's  "  Briefe  and  True  Relation,"  and 
his  letter  to  Sir  John  Wolstenholme.  But  Purchas 
omitted  Baffin's  priceless  map  and  his  journal,  thus 
doing  an  irreparable  injury  to  posterity.  They  are  now 
lost,  although  it  is  probable  that  the  very  rare  map  met 


l622.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  257 

with  in  a  few  copies  of  the  narrative  of  Luke  Fox,  may 
be  partly  taken  from  the  work  of  Baffin. 

The  Discover ij  sailed  from  Gravesend  on  the  26th  of 
March  i6i6,  and  shaped  a  course  down  channel;  but 
a  westerly  wind  coming  on,  she  put  into  Dartmouth 
Harbour,  and  remained  there  for  eleven  days.  Thus 
was  the  ship,  destined  to  carry  forward  the  discovery  of 
Davis  beyond  his  furthest  point,  receiving  shelter  in  the 
harbour  which  was  in  sight  of  the  home  he  had  loved  so 
well.  The  successors  of  Davis  left  Dartmouth  on  the 
15th  of  April,  a  month  earlier  than  Davis  had  usually 
sailed  from  the  same  port.  The  first  land  they  saw  was 
the  coast  of  Greenland  near  Cockin  Sound,  in  65°  20' 
N.,  where  Baffin  had  been  in  his  first  Arctic  voyage  with 
James  Hall,  in  161 2.  Several  Eskimos  in  their  kayaks 
came  round  the  ship,  and  were  given  small  pieces  of 
iron,  but  Bylot  and  Baffin  did  not  wish  to  anchor  so 
early  in  the  voyage,  having  made  a  good  passage  across 
the  Atlantic.  The  wind  was  against  them,  and  they 
worked  up  to  the  northward  until  they  reached  70°  20' 
N.  "  Then  we  came  to  an  anchor  in  a  faire  sound  near 
the  place  Master  Davis  called  London  Coast."  This 
was  probably  near  Noursoak,  on  the  north  shore  of  the 
Waigat,  or  strait  dividing  Disco  Island  from  the  main- 
land of  Greenland. 

At  sunset  on  the  22nd  of  May  the  Discovery  left  her 
anchorage  in  the  Waigat,  after  a  stay  of  two  days, 
during  which  Baffin  diligently  observed  the  tides.  These 
tidal  observations  gave  rise  to  some  apprehension  re- 
specting the  passage,  for  the  rise  and  fall  was  only  feighfc 
or  nine  feet,  the  flood  coming  from  the  soutli.  Working 
up  against  a  dead  foul  wind  the  old  ci'aft  made  but  slow 
progress,  and  encountering  a  dead  whale  far  out  at  sea, 


258  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1609. 

some  time  was  spent  in  getting  the  whalebone  on  board. 
But  by  sunset  of  the  30th  tliey  were  fairly  in  sight  of 
Sanderson  his  Hope,  "  the  farthest  land  Master  Davis 
was  at,"  on  the  30th  of  Jimo  1587,  an  interval  of  nearly 
thirty  yeais.  Pushing  through  some  loose  ice,  they 
came  among  islands,  where  BafHu  and  his  crew  had 
pleasant  relations  with  some  E.-kimo  lasses,  showing 
them  the  ship,  and  helping  them  to  go  from  one  island 
to  another,  in  search  of  their  men  folk.  They  called 
the  group  "  Women  Islands,"  a  name  it  still  retains. 

From  the  "  Women  Islands  "  Baffin  passed  on  to  the 
group  now  called  "  Baffin  Islands  ;  "  but  finding  much  ice 
along  the  coast,  the  bold  pilot  steered  westward,  and 
took  the  perilous  course  of  attempting  the  middle  pack. 
Parry  succeeded  in  passing  through  it  in  18 19,  and 
Nares  in  1875,  but  there  is  great  danger  of  being  beset 
and  drifted  southwards.  It  is  always  safer  to  keep  near 
the  shore.  "  Stick  to  the  land-floe  !  "  was  the  favourite 
maxim  of  expeiienced  whaling  captains.  Baffin  came 
to  the  same  conclusion.  After  a  short  trial  of  the  middle 
pack  he  resolved  to  keep  near  the  land  ;  and  on  the  15th 
of  June  he  anchored  in  Melville  Bay,  under  the  lee  of 
some  islands  off  the  point  now  called  Cape  Shackleton, 
Vhich  is  1400  feet  high,  and  nearly  perpendicular. 
Here  the  ship  was  visited  by  Eskimos  in  luiyals  and 
umenaks,  who  exchanged  narwhals'  horns  for  pieces  of 
iron  and  glass  beads,  Baffin  therefore  called  the  place 
Horn  Sound,  a  name  which  ought  to  be  restored  on 
modern  maps,  just  north  of  Cape  Shackleton,  whei'e 
there  is  a  cliff  frequented  by  guillemots. 

In  the  last  days  of  June  the  Discovery  made  the 
passage  of  Melville  Bay,  since  so  much  dreaded  by 
whalers,  with  little  or  no  obstruction  from  the  ice,  and 


l622.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  259 

by  the  ist  of  July  she  had  reached  the  "north  water." 
BaflSn  named  a  fair  headland  Cape  Dudley  Digges,  in 
76.8°  N.,  and  a  deep  bay  twelve  leagues  further  north 
was  called  Wolstenholme  Sound.  Here  the  little  vessel 
was  anchored  ;  but  in  a  few  hours  she  was  driven  out 
to  sea,  the  gale  increased,  her  foresail  was  blown  out  of 
the  bolt-ropes,  and  when  the  weather  cleared,  they  found 
themselves  imbayed  in  another  deep  sound,  w-here  they 
anchored.  Seeing  several  whales,  they  gave  it  the  name 
of  Whale  Sound.  The  wind  soon  moderated,  and  the 
Discovery  continiaed  her  adventurous  course  along  this 
far  northern  land,  until  she  was  stopped  by  the  ice  in 
78°  N.,  when  in  sight  of  an  opening  named  Smith  Sound, 
"the  greatest  and  largest  in  all  this  bay."  An  island 
between  Smith  and  Whale  Sounds  received  the  name 
of  Hakluyt  Island.  Here  the  Discovery  was  again 
anchored,  in  the  hope  of  finding  whalebone  on  the  shore. 
But  again  the  wind  and  sea  rose,  and  they  were  driven 
from  their  shelter,  to  beat  about  for  two  days  in  the 
"north  water"  of  Baffin's  Bay.  When  the  weather 
cleared  up,  they  sighted  a  group  of  islands,  which 
received  the  name  of  the  Gary  Islands,  after  the  ship's 
husband,  Mr.  Alwyn  Gary. 

Baffin  stood  to  the  westward  in  an  open  sea,  with  a 
stiff  gale  of  wind,  until  the  loth  of  July,  when  it  fell 
calm.  The  Discovery  was  now  on  the  western  side  of 
the  bay,  and  an  opening  was  in  sight  which  received 
the  name  of  Jones  Sound.  Here  a  boat  was  sent  on 
shore,  and  many  walrus  were  seen  on  the  rocks,  but  a 
fair  wind  springing  up,  no  attempt  was  made  to  kill 
them.  Running  southwards  another  opening  was  dis- 
covered in  74°  30',  Mhich  was  called  Lancaster  Sound 
in  honour  of  the  eminent  Dii-ector  of   the  East  India 


260  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1609. 

Company,  who  had  commanded  the  first  English  voyage 
to  the  East  Indies.  Too  hastily  assuming  this  and 
other  sounds  to  be  merely  bays,  Baffin  ran  southwards 
along  the  western  coast  of  Davis  Strait  for  ten  days,  and 
then  standing  eastward,  after  some  difficulty  from  large 
floes  of  ice,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  west  coast  of 
Greenland  again,  and  anchored  in  Cockin  Sound. 
Several  of  the  crew  had  been  attacked  by  scurvy,  and 
the  cook  had  died.  But  such  quantities  of  sorrel  and 
scurvy  grass  were  now  gathered  and  administered  to  the 
sick,  that  in  ten  days  they  were  all  in  pei-fect  health 
again.  Leaving  Cockin  Sound  on  the  6th  of  August, 
the  Discovery  had  a  prosperous  voyage  home,  and  on  the 
30th  of  August  she  was  anchored  off  Dover. 

Thus  was  the  wish  of  Davis  accomplished.  His  dis- 
covery as  far  as  Hope  Sanderson  was  extended  by  his 
successor,  and  the  whole  of  Baffin's  Bay  was  added  to 
geographical  knowledge.  It  is  pleasant  to  feel  that  Baffin 
venerated  the  memory  of  his  illustrious  predecessor. 
He  always  mentions  him  with  respect,  and  in  his  letter 
to  Sir  John  Wolstenholme  he  generously  says — "Neither 
was  Master  Davis  to  be  blamed  in  his  report  and  great 
hopes ;  for  as  far  as  Hope  Sanderson  the  sea  is  open,  of 
an  unsearchable  depth  and  good  colour."  Baffin's  con- 
clusion was  that  "  there  is  no  passage  nor  hope  of 
passage  to  the  north  of  Davis  Straits."  But  Baffin  was 
wrong,  and  Davis  was  right.  In  the  distant  future  the 
wishes  of  Davis  received  further  development,  and  Davis 
Strait  proved  to  be  the  way  to  further  important  geo- 
graphical discovery,  westward  and  northward  by  Lan- 
caster Sound,  and  by  Smith  Sound,  openings  which 
Baffin  had  erroneously  supposed  to  be  merely  bays. 

A  review  of  the  scientific  observations  of  William 


1622.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  261 

Baffin  will  show  how  zealously  he  followed  the  example 
of  John  Davis  in  this  respect.  We  first  find  him,  when 
at  anchor  in  Cockin  Sound,  engaged  in  an  experimental 
series  of  observations  intended  to  obtain  the  longitude 
by  moon's  culmination.  In  this  first  recorded  voyage, 
he  mentions  having  taken  sixteen  observations  for  lati- 
tude and  eight  for  variation.  In  his  first  voyage  to 
Spitzbergen  he  observed  for  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle, 
as  well  as  for  variation ;  and  he  adopted  an  ingenious 
method  of  calculating  the  sun's  refraction.  The  journal 
of  his  second  Spitzbergen  voyage  is  unfortunately  lost  to 
us,  and  with  it  the  account  of  his  observations.  But  in 
1 6 15,  when  in  Hudson's  Strait,  he  records  daily  observa- 
tions for  latitude,  and  twenty-seven  for  variation  of  the 
compass.  He  describes  a  complete  lunar  observation ; 
and  thus  has  the  honour  of  having  been  the  first 
Englishman  who  ever  took  a  lunar  at  sea.  He  also 
made  another  attempt  to  find  the  longitude  by  moon's 
culmination,  and  the  correctness  of  the  deductions  de- 
rived from  his  tidal  observations  was  long  afterwards 
confined  by  Sir  Edward  Parry.  In  his  fifth  voyage, 
when  he  immortalised  his  name  by  the  discovery  of 
Baffin's  Bay,  Baffin  was  equally  diligent,  but  his  work  is 
unfortunately  lost  to  us  through  the  injudicious  omission 
of  Purchas,  and  we  only  have  his  observation  for  varia- 
tion in  Smith  Sound,  to  which  he  incidentally  alludes  in 
his  letter  to  Sir  John  Wolstenholme 

After  1616,  Baffin,  in  order  to  obtain  suitable  em- 
ployment, was  obliged  to  enter  the  service  of  the  East 
India  Company.  But  when  he  found  himself  under  this 
necessity,  it  is  extremely  interesting  to  find  that,  like 
Davis  before  him,  he  never  abandoned  the  hope  of  con- 
tinuing his  northern   discoveries.     He  even   conceived 


262  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1609, 

the  very  same  scheme  which  Davis  so  long  entertainer], 
namely,  of  making  the  northern  passage  by  way  of  the 
Pacific.  Mr  Bi-iggs,  in  his  "Brief  Discourse  on  a  North- 
West  Passage,"  saya  that  Baffin  told  him  "that  he 
would,  if  he  might  get  employment,  search  the  passage 
from  Japan,  by  the  coast  of  Asia,  any  way  he  could." 

In  1617  Baffin  obtained  the  appointment  of  master's 
mate  on  board  the  Anne  Royal^  of  1320  tons,  Andrew 
Shilling  captain,  in  the  fleet  for  the  seventh  joint  stock 
voyage  of  the  East  India  Company,  commanded  by 
Captain  Martin  Pring.  In  September  the  fleet  arrived 
at  Surat,  and  Captain  Shilling  was  sent  to  the  Red  Sea, 
charged  with  the  duty  of  "  settling  an  English  trade  in 
those  parts."  Shilling  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  firman 
from  the  Pasha  of  Mocha  for  English  merchants  to  trade 
at  Mocha  and  Aden,  and  the  Anne  Royal  then  visited 
the  opposite  African  coast.  Baffin  was  very  actively 
employed  in  surveying  and  preparing  charts  both  in  the 
Red  Sea,  and  afterwards  when  the  Ajine  Royal  was  in 
the  Persian  Gulf.  She  returned  home  in  September 
16 19,  and  during  these  two  years  Baffin  had  won  the 
approbation  of  his  superiors  and  of  the  Company. 
There  is  the  following  entry  in  the  Couit'a  Minutes  of 
October  ist,  1619 — •"  William  Baffin,  a  master's  mate  in 
the  Anne,  to  have  a  gratuity  for  his  pains  and  good  art 
in  drawing  out  certain  plots  of  the  coasts  of  Persia  and 
the  Red  Sea  which  are  judged  to  have  been  very  well 
and  artificially  performed."  Captain  Shilling  had  con- 
ducted the  negotiations  with  the  Turkish  authorities  ia 
the  Red  Sea,  with  such  ability  and  discretion  that  he 
was  selected  to  have  command  of  the  next  fleet,  consist- 
ing of  four  new  ships. 

Captain  Shilling  was  on  board  the  London,  and,  at  his 


I622.] 


FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK, 


263 


special  recommendation,  William  Baffin  was  appointed 
master  of  the  same  ship.  The  other  ships  were  the 
Hart,  under  Captain  Blithe,  the  Roebncli:,  and  the  Eagle. 
Leaving  England  in  March  1620  the  fleet  arrived  at 
Surat  in  November,  where  news  had  just  been  received 
that  a  combined  Portuguese  and  Dutch  fleet  was  wait- 
ing off  Jashk,  near  the  entrance  of  the  Persian  Gulf, 


THB  PERSIAN  GULF. 

to  intercept  and  attack  the  English  ships.  Shilling  at 
once  resolved  to  go  in  search  of  this  hostile  fleet,  and 
on  the  1 6th  of  December  he  fell  in  with  four  of  the 
enemy's  ships,  and  engaged  them.  The  first  fight  lasted 
for  nine  hours,  when  both  fleets  hauled  off  to  repair 
damages.  On  the  28th  a  second  battle  was  fought,  both 
fleets  anchoring  within  range.    But  the  Portuguese  first 


264  LIFE  OF  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1609. 

"cried  hold,  enough."  Captain  Swan  of  the  Roehuck 
tells  us  that  "about  three  in  the  afternoon,  unwilling, 
after  so  hotte  a  dinner,  to  receive  a  like  supper,  they 
cvit  their  cables,  and  di'ove  with  the  tide  until  they  were 
without  range  of  our  guns,  and  then  their  frigate  came 
to  them,  and  towed  them  away,  wonderfully  mangled  and 
toi-n."  Captain  Shilling  was  mortally  wounded  in  this 
encounter,  and  his  body  was  interred  at  Jashk,  on  the 
7tli  of  January  1621,  with  all  decency  and  solemnity. 

Captain  Blithe  succeeded  Shilling  in  command  of  the 
fleet;  Baffin  remaining  in  charge  of  the  London.  He 
passed  the  winter,  that  is,  the  period  of  the  south-west 
monsoon,  in  the  little  port  of  Sdr  on  the  coast  of  Oman, 
where  there  were  fresh  water  and  palm  trees.  Siir 
received  the  name  of  "London's  Hope,"  and  Baffin 
remained  there  until  the  15th  of  August. 

In  162 1  the  English  agreed  with  Shah  Abbas  of 
Persia  to  drive  the  Portuguese  out  of  Ormuz,  by  a 
joint  attack.  The  English  were  to  have  a  share  of 
the  plunder,  and  in  future  to  receive  half  the  cus- 
toms of  Bandar  Abbas  or  Gombroon,  the  town  on 
the  mainland  which  was  destined  to  take  the  place 
of  the  island  of  Ormuz  as  a  commercial  mart.  The 
English  fleet  assembled  at  Surat,  and  on  the  23rd  of 
December  162 1  it  arrived  at  an  open  roadstead  on  the 
Persian  Gulf  near  Minab,  with  the  island  of  Ormuz 
in  sight.  Here  the  news  was  received  that  the  Portu- 
guese had  erected  a  fort  on  the  island  of  Kishm  to 
protect  some  wells  for  supplying  Ormuz  with  water. 
The  fort  was  already  besieged  by  a  Persian  array,  and 
on  January  20,  1622,  the  English  fleet  arrived.  Tho 
first  operation  was  to  land  a  certain  number  of  guns 
from  each  ship,  and  to  throw  up  earthworks.    The  siege 


1 622.]  FOLLOWING  UP  OF  THE  WORK.  265 

theo  commenced,  and,  after  two  days,  William  Baffin 
went  on  shore  with  his  mathematical  instruments,  to 
take  the  height  and  distance  of  the  castle  wall,  so  as  to 
find  the  range.  "  But  as  he  was  about  the  same  ho 
received  a  shot  from  the  castle  into  his  belly,  wherewith 
he  gave  three  leaps  and  died  immediately."  Purchas 
says — "  In  the  Indies  he  died,  in  the  late  Ormuz  busi- 
ness, slain  in  fight,  with  a  shot,  as  he  was  trying  his 
mathematical  projects  and  conclusions."  The  death  of 
the  great  navigator  took  place  on  the  23rd  of  January 
1622.  The  fort  of  Kishm  surrendered  on  the  ist  of 
February,  and  the  fall  of  Ormuz  followed  a  few  days 
afterwards. 

In  these  last  two  chapters  we  have  seen  how  the  two 
routes  discovered  by  Davis,  and  which  he  pointed  out  as 
the  directions  that  future  exploration  should  take,  were 
followed  up  by  subsequent  navigators.  By  way  of  the 
"  Furious  Overfall  "  of  Davis,  most  important  discoveries 
were  made  during  the  ten  years  which  followed  on  his 
death.  Hudson  discovered  the  south  side  of  Hudson's 
Strait,  and  the  eastei-n  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay,  Button 
and  Fox  explored  the  western  side  of  that  great  bay. 
Bylot  and  Baffin  surveyed  the  northern  side  of  Hudson's 
Strait,  and  Fox  discovered  the  eastern  coast  of  the 
channel  which  bears  his  name.  By  way  of  Sanderson's 
Hope  of  Davis,  Baffin  sailed  onwards  past  the  furthest 
point  of  his  illustrious  predecessor,  and  discovered  the 
great  bay  which  bears  his  own  name,  and  also  the  open- 
ings or  sounds  which  form  tho  portals  of  the  most 
important  Arctic  discovei-ies  of  modern  times.  It  was 
thus  that  the  influence  of  the  master-mind  was  felt  by 
his  successors,  long  after  he  himself  had  passed  away. 

The  geographical  student  will  find  that  the  best  and 


266  LIFE  OK  JOHN  DAVIS.  [1609-22. 

most  agreeable  method  of  acquiring  a  thorough  ground- 
ing in  his  science  is,  by  the  contemplation  of  the  life  of 
a  great  geographer  or  explorer.  For  by  this  biographical 
method,  each  coast  and  island,  each  bay  and  strait,  is 
connected  with  some  incident  in  the  life- story  of  the 
discoverer  or  of  his  successors.  Interest  is  thus  given  to 
what  would  otherwise  be  a  mere  list  of  names,  and  life 
is  breathed  into  the  inorganic  mass.  A  knowledge  of 
the  lives  of  John  Davis  and  of  his  immediate  successors, 
requires  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  Davis  Strait  and 
its  shores,  with  the  east  and  west  coasts  of  Greenland, 
with  Hudson's  Strait  and  Bay,  and  with  Baffin's  Bay  ; 
in  short,  with  all  the  nearer  regions  of  Arctic  America. 
It  is  desirable  that  the  student  should  be  conversant 
■with  the  achievements  of  Arctic  worthies  in  other  parts 
of  the  world ;  because  he  should  contemplate  the  com- 
plete life-stories  of  his  heroes,  and  thus  realise  how,  and 
by  the  possession  of  what  qualifications,  their  Arctic 
work  was  done.  The  thorough  and  complete  grounding 
which  such  a  study  supplies,  is  the  best  preparation  for 
an  examination  of  the  labours  of  modern  explorers  and 
of  the  results  of  their  work,  which  will  include  the  acqui- 
sition of  an  intelligent  knowledge  and  appreciation  of 
the  geography  of  the  whole  Arctic  Kegions. 


APPENDIX  ON  THE  AUTHORITIES. 


The  early  years  of  John  Davis  were  passed  on  the  banks  of 
the  Dart.  We  derive  some  insight  into  this  period  of  his  life 
from  Westcote's  "  Devonshire/'  from  the  parish  registers  at 
Stoke  Gabriel,  from  incideiital  notices  in  other  county 
histories,  and  from  the  writings  and  will  of  Davis  himself, 
A  careful  search  through  the  municipal  archives  at  Dart- 
mouth has  failed  to  lead  to  the  discovery  of  any  notice  of 
Davis,  or  of  the  fitting  out  of  his  expeditions  in  Dartmouth 
Harbour.  Notices  of  the  private  affairs  of  Davis  are  given 
in  documents  preserved  in  the  State  Paper  Office. 

Some  particulars  respecting  the  preparations  for  tlie  first 
Arctic  voyage  are  to  be  found  in  the  journal  of  Dr.  Dee,  and 
in  the  Minute  Book  of  the  Elizabethan  Guild  of  the  City  of 
Exeter.  The  narrative  of  the  first  Arctic  voyage  of  Davis 
was  written  by  John  Janes  ;  that  of  the  second  voyage  by 
Davis  himself,  with  a  supplementary  journal  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Sunshine  by  Henry  Morgan.  The  story  of  the 
third  voyage  is  by  John  Janes,  and  the  traverse  or  log  book 
kept  by  Davis  has  been  preserved.  The  wliole  were  published 
by  Hakluyt  in  his  collections  of  voyages  and  travels.  Davis 
reviewed  the  resttlts  of  his  three  Arctic  voyages  in  his 
"  World's  Hydrographical  Discovery."  The  discoveries  of 
Davir;,  with  some  additional  names,  are  shown  ou  the  Moly- 
neux  Globe. 

We  only  know  the  name  of  the  vessel  on  board  of  which 
Davis  served  in  the  fleet  which  defeated  the  Spanish  Armada ; 
and  facta  relating  to  his  service  in  the  Azores  under  the  Earl 
of  Cumberland,  are  derived  from  the  nairative  of  Edward 


268  APPENDIX  ON  THE  AUTHORITIES. 

Wriglit.  Incidental  statements  of  Sir  William  Monson,  of 
Sir  Robert  Dudley,  and  of  Davia  himself,  prove  that  he 
served  under  the  Earl  of  Essex  at  Cadiz,  and  in  the  Azores. 
The  thrilling  tale  of  Davis's  command  of  the  Desire  in  the  last 
expedition  of  Cavendish,  is  told  by  his  old  friend  Jolm 
Janes  ;  and  a  few  additional  facts  are  supplied  by  the  letter 
of  Cavendish  written  on  his  deathbed,  and  by  the  extra- 
ordinary story  of  Knivet. 

Much  light  is  thrown  on  the  attainments  and  character  of 
Davis  by  his  own  works,  entitled  the  "Seaman's  Secrets,"  and 
the  "World's  Hydrographical  Discovery." 

The  narrative  of  the  voyage  to  India  in  the  Dutch  Fleet 
was  written  by  Davis  himself,  that  of  the  first  voyage  sent  out 
by  the  East  India  Company  by  an  unknown  hand,  and  that 
of  the  voyage  of  the  Tiger  apparently  by  Sir  Edward  Michel- 
borne.  The  Sailing  Directions  from  Acheu  to  Priaman  and 
Tiku  by  John  Davis,  are  preserved  among  the  Sloane  MSS. 
in  the  British  Museum. 

Prince,  in  his  "Worthies  of  Devon,"  was  the  first  to  write  a 
notice  of  the  life  of  Captain  Jolm  Davis  of  Sandridge  ;  but 
he  confused  him  with  another  John  Davis  of  Liraehouse,  a 
younger  man,  whose  life  can  easily  be  traced  in  Purchas,  and 
who  died  in  1622.  Prince  was  ignorant  of  the  voyage  of 
^lichelborne,  and  consequently  knew  nothing  of  the  time  and 
place  of  the  death  of  John  Davis  of  Sandridge.  Dr.  Kippis, 
in  the  Biographia  Britannica,  repeats  most  of  the  blunders 
of  Prince  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  perceived  that  there 
must  have  been  two  Davises,  for  he  had  learnt  the  particulars 
of  the  death  of  John  Davis  of  Sandridge  from  "  Harris's 
Voyages,"  and  if  he  was  killed  in  1605,  Dr.  Kippis  saw  that 
he  could  not  have  written  a  "Rutter"  dated  1618,  which  is 
given  in  Purchas  and  attributed  to  a  John  Davis.  In  spite 
of  the  warning  thus  thrown  out  by  Dr.  Kippis,  Sir  John 
Barrow  repeated  all  the  blunders  of  Prince,  and  was  equally 
ignorant  of  the  time  and  place  of  Davis's  death,  although  they 
are  given  by  Harris  and  Kippis.  Mr.  Bolton  Corney,  in 
Notes  and  Queries,  pointed  out  most  of  the  blunders  of  Prince 
and  Barrow,    Mr.  Froude,  in  an  article  entitled  "  England's 


APPENDIX  ON  THE  AUTHORITIES.  269 

Forgotten  Worthies,"  pulilished  in  1852,  and  reprinted  in 
1858,  in  Lis  bouk  called  "Short  Studies  on  Great  Subjects," 
repeated  all  the  old  blunders,  and  added  fresh  ones.  The 
warnings  of  Dr.  Kippis  and  Mr.  Bolton  Corney  render  the 
inaccuracies  and  misleading  statements  of  Mr.  Froude  alto- 
gether inexcusable.  Mr.  Fox  Bourne,  in  a  uork  entitled 
"English  Seamen  under  the  Tudors,"  published  in  1868, 
gives  a  brief  but  correct  account  of  the  life  of  Davis.  In  1880 
the  Hakluyt  Society  issued  a  volume  containing  the  texts  of 
the  works,  and  of  all  the  narratives  of  the  voyages  of  John 
Davis,  with  an  introduction,  notes,  and  a  critical  review  of 
previous  notices  of  the  great  navigator,  b}'-  Commodore  Murk- 
ham.  The  notice  of  Davis,  in  the  "  National  Biography,"  i3 
by  Professor  Laughton. 


INDEX. 


(Abbreviations:— E.I. C  for  East  India  Company  ;  N.W.P.  for  IJorth-lVut 
Passage.) 


Abdalla,  Malay  officer  who  boarded 

the  Dutch  ships    .        .        .  190 

Abrolhos  rocks 1S6 

Achen,  in  Sumatra,  arrival  of  Dutch 

ships 188 

kings  of,  189;  received  Davis  .  190 
treaclierous  attack  on  Dutch 

ships  ....  190,  191 
letter  from   Queen   Elizabtth 

to  king  of  .  .  .  ,199 
arriv.il  of  E.I. C.  ships  .  .204 
interview  of  Captaiu  Lancaster 

vs'ith  king  of .  .  .  .  205 
treaty  with  English  .    205,  206 

king  of,  reply  to  the  Queen's 

letter 206 

civil  war 217 

(See  Pepper.) 
Acosia,  history  of  the  Indies,  trans- 
lated by  Liiischoten      .        .  1S3 
Acuna,  Rodiigo  de.  Captain  in  the 

fleet  of  Loaysa  .  .  .96 
Adams,  Clement,  map  of  Sebastian 

Cabot,  by  .  .  .  .15 
Adams,   of  Wadditon,  married  to 

Cecilia  Fulford  ...  11 
Adams,  Luke,  a  seaman  in  Davis's 

first  Arctic  voyage  .  .  36 
Aden,  Baffin  at  .  .  ,  .162 
Agra  (see  Ahbar)  ....  195 
"Aid,"  ship  lent  to  Frobisher  ly 

the  Queen  .  .  .  .22 
Queen's  ship,  Capt.  J.  Fanner  75 
Capt.  Fcnuer  in  command       ,    7" 


PAGB 

Akhar,  Ralph  Fitch  at  the  court  of, 

at  .^gra 195 

Alcazora,  Simon  He,  expediti'm  of     98 
Alfonso  the  Wise,  tables  of      .         .  143 
Almagest  (see  Ptolemy). 
Almanac  of  Regiomontanus       143,  144 

(See  Ephemeris.) 
Alonzo,   Hernando,   pilot    of    Sar- 

mieiito 105 

Altitude  of  the  sun,  observation    .  144 
latitude  found  by     .        .        .  Itil 

(See  Astrolabe,  Cross-Staff.) 
America,  proofs  of  the  insularity 

cf 26,  170 

discovered  by  Norsemen  14,  63 
Amirante  shoal  ....  188 
Amsterdam, Miis  despatched  from, 

to  the  north  .        .        .   182,  183 
Hudson's  third  voyage  from    .  228 
Anchor  Rock  in  the  Dart  .         .      6 

Aadalustci,    squadron    of,   in    the 

Spanish  Armada   .        .        .73 
Angelica  growing  in  Greenland     .  252 
Angosturas   or  "Narrows"  iu  Ma- 
gellan's Strait        .        .        .  101 
scheme  of  Sarmiento  to  build 

forts  in 106 

de.sciiption  ....  121 
"  Ann  Francis,"  ship  in  Frobi.sher's 

third  Arctic  voyage       .        .     23 
"  Ann  Royal,"  Baffin's  ship,  in  his 

first  voyage  to  India     .        .  262 

"  ..<)((t'/o/)c,"  Queen's  ship        .        ,     76 

6ii'  Henry  Palmer,  ofif  Calais  .     76 


272 


INDEX. 


96 


25 


Anlongil,   in    Madag:ifc;ir,    E.I.C. 

fleet  at 203 

"  Anuncio da,"  Bhi-p  in  the  fleut  of 

Lo.cy>,a 

J2nanus,  his  opinion  on  the  insu- 
larity of  Amciica   . 
A)ab  astl-oiiomers  (see  Alfoyun). 
Araucaiiians,  lieatli  of  Valdivia  in 

battle  witli    ...       98,  99 
Archangel,     Melcbior   Moucherou, 

founder  of      ...        .  181 
Arctic   men    -serving    in  the  fleet 
which  repidsed  the  Spanish 

Armada 75 

Arctic   expeditions    to  tlie    north- 
east,       .        .        .17,  182,  183 
of  Frobi^-her      ...       20,  24 
of  Davis     .         .        12,  31-52,  53-71 
of  Hudson         .        .        .229  233 
ol  Button  ....    234,  235 
of  Bylot  and  Baflin  .        .   236,  237 
of  James  and  Fox     .        .    238-247 
Danish  voyages  to  Greenland  .  249 
Hall's     voyage     to     Green- 
land       ....   250,  251 
Baffin's  voyages         .        .    250-261 
(See  North-  H'est  Passage.) 
Arctic  regions,  described  by  Davis  6'^,  66 
results  of  Labours  of  Davis      68,  69 
Davis  on  the      .        .        .   173,  175 

study  of 266 

(See  Greenland,   Sj:>>tsbergen, 

Jce,    North-  IVest    Passage, 

Novaya  Zenilya.) 

"Ark  RoyaL,"  warship  built  by  Sir 

J.  Hawkins    .... 

flagship  ot  the  Lord  Admiral  . 

in  Plymouth  fcound. 

attacked    the    Spanish     ship 

"Rata" 

engaged  the  Spanish  fleet ;  loss 
of  rudder        .... 

at  Cadiz 

Armada  (ste  Spanish  Fleit). 
Ascension  Island,  Dutch  ships  at    . 

sighted  by  the  "  2'i£/tr"    . 
Ascension  Isles  on  Span  sli  charts, 

not  the  Falkland  Isles 
"Ascension"     ship    in     the    first 
E.I.C.  voyage 
capt.aln  killed  by  accident 
cargo  of  pepper  at  Acheii         . 


74 


77 


79 


193 
215 

127 

197 
203 
206 


PAGE 

Ashley,    Sir   Anthony,    tran.slatid 

Wagenaar's  work  .        .         .  1S3 
Astrolabe  adapted  for  use  at  sea,  by 

Behaira  .        .        .        .88,  144 
improvements  of  Blagrave  and 

Huod 153 

desciibed  by  Divis   .         .         .  100 
Atlantis,    Gilbert's   argument    de- 
rived from      .        .        .        .25 
Azores,  Earl  of  Cumberland's  expe- 
dition    .         .         .         .82,  223 
.    names  of  i.s';inds       .        .       83,  84 
"Island  Voyage"  to  .        .  177 


Sacalaos  (see  Newfoundland'). 
Sack-staff,  or  Davis's  quadrant,  in- 
vention .        .         .    166,  ItiS,  223 

description  ....  It6 
Bacon,  Lord  .....  4 
Baffin,   William,   lighted   into  his 

bay  by  Davis         .        .71,  226 
(See  Sanderson's  Hope.) 

with  Bylot  in  Hudson's  Strait 

236,  255 

observed  a  lunar  in  Hudson's 
Strait      ....    237,  261 

return  from  Hudson's  Bay      .  23S 

notice  of    .         .         .         .   248,  249 

went  to  Greenland  with  Cap- 
tain Hall        .        .        .        .250 

astrunomical   observations    in 
Greenland       .         .         .    250,  251 

h  s  narrative  of  Hall's  voyage    251 

pilot  of   the   "  Tigtr"  in   the 
Spitzbergen  voyage       .        .  252 

his  observation  for  refraction     '.^53 

wrote  the  narrativeof  Joseph's 
Spitzbergen  voyage       .        ,  253 

explored  the  northern  coast 
of  Spitzbergen       .         .         .  254 

pilot  with  Bylot  in  the  "Dis- 
covery " 256 

his  "  Brief  Relation  "in  Purchas  256 

intercdiu'se  with  Eskimos  at 
Women  Islands     .         .         .  £53 

discovery  ol  Baffin's  Baj-,    2J9,  260 

mentioned  the  discoveries  of 
Davis  with  re-spcct        .        .  200 

review  of  his  scientific  obser- 
vations   261 

entered  the  service  of  the  E.LC.  261 


INDEX. 


Baffin,  William,  scheme  to  make 

the  N.W.P.  by  the  Pacific  .  262 
master    of    the    E.I.C.     ship 

" Anne  Royal"  .  .  .  262 
surveys  in  tlie  Red  Sea  .  .  262 
master  of  the  "  iontio)!, "  .  2^3 
in  command  of  the  "  London"  204 
death  at  Kishm         .         .        .  265 

Baffin's  Baij 259 

discovery  ....  259,  260 
Baffin  Island  named  by  Sir  Edward 

PaiTy 237 

Baffin  Islands 258 

Baker,  Chi  istopher,  in  command  of 

the  "  t-oresight,  "    ,        .        .76 
Balboa,  Vasco  Nunez  de,  discovery 

of  tlie  Soutii  Sea    .        .        .93 
Ball,  Mr.,  JDiiied  in  seudinfj  Cap- 
tain Hall  to  Greenland         .  250 
Ball's  River  in  Greenland       .        .  252 

Bandar  Abbas 264 

BantaminJa.vn,  E.I.C.  fleet  at  20'i,  207 
"  Ticker "  at        .         .         .         .   217 
Barents, 'SVtn.,  Medina's  Jsavisration 

fouiidat  the  winter  quartersof  151 
voyages  of         .        .        .         .182 

death 1S3 

discoveries  on  the   Molyneux 

gl"be 167 

Barke  of  Lime,   Captain    Markes- 
bury,  consort  of  Davis  in  the 
Azore  expedition      .         .  82,  S3 
Barker,  Andrew,  with  Captain  Hall 

in  Greenland  .         .         .  250 

•uccecded  to  the  command  on 
death  of  Hall         .        .        .251 
Same,  Alderman     .        .        .        .29 
Bai~row,  Sii  John,  lepeate  1  the  mis- 
tiike  of  Prince  in  his  account 
of  Davis  .        .        .        .268 

BasingHnke,    birthplace   of   Sir  J. 

Ltincaster       ....  195 
Basque  Provinces,  voyages  of  sailors 

to  Newfoundland .  .  .16 
Bailors  experienced  in  catching 

whales 38 

sailors  of,  the  chief  reliance  of 

the  Spanish  navy  .        ,        .72 
ships  of ,  in  tlieSpitzbergen  seas  252 
(See  Cano,  Bisayans,  Guipuzcan.) 
Batu,  Isle  of,  off  Sumatra,  "  Tiger  " 

anchored  at  .        .        .        .  216 


PACE 

Beale,   Mr.,  house  of,  meeting  to 

discuss  Arctic  matters  at  14,  17, 
20,  25,  29 
"  Sear,"  Queen's  ship  (see  "  White 
Bear  '). 

Bears,  PoLir 42 

Bedford,  Captain,   R.N.,  reference 

toliis  "Sailor's  Pocket- IJook  "  162 
Becston,  Sir  George,  in  command  of 

the '^  Ih-eadnought"  .     76 

Bthaim,   Martin,   inventor  of  the 

astrolabe  u.-ed  at  sea     .         .  143 

settled  at  Fayal,  in. the  Azores    88 

his  globe     .         .         .  144  and  note 

Belleislciitra.it,  discovered  byCartier  16 

Davis  off 50 

Bengal 1:  5 

Ben.iett,  the  cook,  in  Hudson's  last 

voyage,  mutineer.         .         .  231 

a  survivor 2i;o 

Berf/iorc/!,  amval  of  Davis  .-it  .  !3S 
Bergen  op  Zoom  (>ee  WiUouyhbij,  Lord). 
Best,  George,  Frobislier's  lieutenant; 

in  Ids  Arctic  voy.ige  .  22,  23 
Best,   Captain,   founded    the   first 

E.I.C.  factoiy in  India.  .209 
Bideford,  the  Boroughs  natives  of  4 
Bilbao,  ships  of  the  Spanish  fleet, 

built  at 72 

Bintang  Island,  John  Davis  buiied 

in  sight  of  ...  .  221 
Biscayan    squadroti,   under   Juan 

Martinez  de  Ilccalde  .  .  72 
Blackaller,     Mr.,     of     Dartiiiouth, 

Davis  to  appear  at  house  of .  138 
"  Black  Pinnace  "  in  second  vo\age 

of  Cavendish  ....  116 
at  Port  Desire  .  .  .  .113 
remained  with  D.ivis  .  .  124 
collectint;    seals    at    Penguin 

Island 126 

lost  with  all  hands  .        .        .  131 
"  Black  Dog,"  Davis  in  command, 

tender  to  tlie  Lord  Admiral  75, 77 
in  the  fleet  oppot-ing  the  Spa- 
nish Armada .        .        .79,  80 
Blagrave,  J.,  his  improvements  in 

the  astrolabe  and  cross-staff  153 
Blithe,    Captain,    of    the    "Hart," 

E.I.C.  voyage        .        .         .263 
succeeded    Shilling    in    com- 
mand of  the  fleet  .        .        .  264 

S 


274 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

BlundevilU,  Exercises    .        .        .  153 
published  a  table  of  meridional 

parts 155 

his  treatise  on  tlie  Molyneux 

globe 167 

Boroughs,  the,  of  Bideford     .        .      4 
Stephen,    voyage  to  the  K:ira 
Sea      ....      17,  in 
suggested    a  translation   of 
Cortes  .        .        .        .152 

William,  work  on   terrestrial 
magnetism  .         .      59, 153 

Bourchier,  Lady  Dorothy,  wife  of 

Sir  John  Fulford  ...       8 
Bourne,  Mr.  Fox,  biogj-aphy  of  Davis  269 
Bourne,  "  Regiment  of   the   Sea," 
first  original  English  work 
on  navigation         .        .        .  152 
heaving  the  log  first  described 

by 153,  101 

^ozoiH,  Sir  John,  marriage  of  heiress 

with  Fulf.rd.        ...      8 
Bozohizek,  seat  of  Sir  John  Fulford  8,  11 
Brand,  Wm.,  c.iptaiu  of  "  Ascen- 
sion," first  KI.C.  voyage      .  197 
killed  by  acciilent  at  Antongil  203 
Brandon  Hill,  burial-place  at  Cap- 
tain James's  winter  quarters  246 
Brazil,  coast  of         .        .      98,  107,  lOS 
Lopez  V.iz  captured  by  English 

on  coa.st 109 

Davis  on  coast  of      .        .    117,130 
Cavendisli  resolved  to  return 

to 123,  124 

attack  on  Pernambuco  by  Lan- 
caster    .....  19<3 
Bridgeioater,  Busse  of  (see  Emma). 
Briggs,  Hem  y,  work  on  logarithms  164 
patron  of  Fox's  expedition      .  239 
referred  to  Baffin's  pUin  to  dis- 
cover Uie  K.W.P.  .        .        .262 
"  Briggs  his  Mathematics,"  island 

named  by  Fox          .        .        .  241 
Bristol,  voyages  to  Iceland  from    .     15 
Merrick's  voyage  from    .    112,  113 
Captain  James  fitted  out  at    .  238 
Broken  Point,  Hudson's  Strait,  Baf- 
fin at      237 

Brooke  Place  in  Sutton-at-Home, 

home  of  Sir  T.  Smith    .        .  196 
Brooke,  Sir  John,  patron  of  Fox's 

voyage 239 


PAGE 

Brooke  C'ohhani  Island,  nameu  by 

Fox 241 

Bruton,   William,   captain    of  the 

"Moonshine"         .        .        .33 

at  Gilbert  Sound       .        .        .41 

xn-Aster  ot  tho  "  Elizabeth"       .     54 

landed  the  dogs  for  coursing  .     01 

Barney,  Admiral,  defence  of  Davis 

against  Cavendish         .         ,  124 
proposed   name   of    Davis   for 
Falkland  Isles       .        .        .127 
Basse    of    Bridgewater,    in    Fro- 

bisher's  third  voyage    .        .     2:i 
sunken  land  of  .        .         .         .24 
Button,  Sir  Thomas,  expedition  to 
complete  the  work  of  Hud- 
son   234 

notice  of 234 

winter    quarters    and    disco- 
veries    ....    235,  205 
subsequent  career    .        .        .  235 
particulars  of  his  voyage,  given 

by  Fox 239 

Button  Island,  on  which   is  Cape 

Chidley 235 

Bylot,  Robert,  with  Hudson  in  his 

last  voyage  ....  229 
appointed  mate  by  Hudson  .  230 
took  Hudson's  ship  home  .  233 
in  Button's  voyage  .  .  .  234 
master  of  the  "Discovery"  with 
Baffin  .  .  .  230,  237,  250 
Bylot,  Cape,  named  by  Sir  Edward 

Parry 237 

Byron,  Commodore,  measurement 

of  a  tree  in  Magellan's  Strait  121 

Cabot,  John,  voyage        .        .        .15 
Sebastian,  loss  of  his  papers, 

map  at  Whitehall  .        .        .13 
Governor  of  Company  of  Mer- 

ch:mt  Adventurers        .        .     10 
3og-b'>ok  introduced  by    .        .16 
evidence  of  his  voyage,  for  a 
N.W.P.  ,        -        .        .        .20 
Cadiz,    expedition  of  the   Earl  of 

Essex      .        .        .    176,  177,  223 
Carres  at  Saldanha  (Table)  Bay    .  186, 
187,  202 
Calais,   squadron   under   Lord   E. 

Seymour  off  .        .        .       76,  79 
English  and  Spanish  fleets  off  79,  80 


INDEX. 


276 


PAGE 

Calais,  ship  of  Hugo  de  Mongada 

lost   at 80 

Callao,   expedition    of    Sarmiento 

fitted  out  at  .        .        .         .  105 
Cam,  Diogo,  Behaim  in  expedition 

cf 143 

Cambodia 213 

Camdev,  John 4 

at  Oxford  with  Raleigh    .        .     11 
names   of    Tohinteers   against 

the  Spanisli  fleet,  in     .         .     74 
death  of  "  Cockus  Anglu.s"in 
action,  recorded    .        .        .79 
Canary  Isles     ....    117,  200 
Cano,  Sebastian  del,  first  circum- 
navigator       .        .        .72,  95 
in  Magellan's  fleet     .        .        .94 
cliief  pilot  in  the  fleet  of  Loaysa    9G 

death 97 

Carneiro,  Cerro  de,  hill  above  Horta, 

in  Fayal 86 

Carter,  Mark,  master  of  the  "  Swi- 

shine"     .         .         .         .         .44 
Cartier,  Jacques,  discovery  of  Strait 

of  Belleisle     ...        16,  26 
Cary,  Alivyii,  ship's  husband  for  the 

"  Discoverij"         .        .        .     259 
Sir  George,  provided  ordnance 

for  Cavendish         .        .  116 
of  Cockiugton,  friend  of  Caven- 
dish         116 

Thomas,  of  Gary  Barton  (see 

Fuljord,  Eliz.) 
Islands,  in  Baffin's  Bay    .        .  259 
Castilian   Admiral,    Diego    Flores 

de  Valdez        .        .        .        .73 
Cathay  (see  China). 
Catskill    Mountains,    sighted    by 

Hudson 228 

Cavendish,  Tliomaa,           4,  92,  214,  268 
notice   of,   voyage   of  circum- 
navigation     .        .        .   109,  110 
abandoned  settlers  in  Magel- 
lan's Strait     .        .        .        .110 
his  character     .        ,        .112,118 
second  voyage  .         .        .    113,  114 
sailed  from  Plymouth      .        .116 
guest  of  Davis  .        .        .    119,  120 
vacillation   and   want   of    hu- 
manity ....    123,  124 
yarted   company   witli   Davis, 
d&ath 124 


PAGE 

Cacendish,   Tlionias,   false    accusa- 
tions ag.iinst  Davis       .    124,  158 
anxiety  of  Davis  to  rejoin  125,  126, 
129 
letter  in  Purch  IS      .        .        .  1 '9 
ac  ompanied  by  Hues      .        ,  lotf 
track    round    the    world    on 
Molyneux  globe     .        .        .  167 

Ceylon 192,  193 

Ciiagos  Archipelago  .         .   2>i3,  216 

"  Challenger,"  H.M.S.,  visit  to  Fer- 
nando Noronlia      .         .         .  215 
Chancellor,  Richard,  his  cross-staff    13 

voyage  of 16 

Channel,     British,     chart    of,     by 

Davis      .         .         .         .      T",  162 
Charing  Cross,  name  given  by  Fr  o- 

bisher,  on  Greenland  coast  .     9.Z 
Charles  V.  approved  the  scheme  of 

Magellan        .        .        .        .93 
"  Charles,"  William   Monson  serv- 
ing on  board  .        .        .        .76 
"  Charles,"  ship  of  Luke  Fox  .        .  239 

beset 241 

in  Hudson's  Strait    .        .        .  243 
Charlton  Island,  winter  quarters  of 

Captain  James       .        .        .  246 
Charts,  plane,  sources  of  errots  146,  150 
Mercator's,  of  the  world  .        .  147 
Da  vies,  his  chart  of  the  British 

Channel          .        .        .77,  162 
Davis  on  sea  charts  .        .        .161 
Baffin's,  of  Hudson's  Strait      .  255 
(See  Mercator,  Wright.) 
Chaves,  Spanish  writer  on  naviga- 
tion         150 

Chesapeake  Bay,  visited  by  Hudson  228 

Vhidley,  Cape 70 

found  to  be  an  i-land        .        .  235 

named  by  Davis       .        .        .62 

sighted  by  Fox  .        .   240,  247 

(See  Chudleigh.) 

C/iiie,  conquered  by  Valdivia .        .     98 

(See  St.  Maria.) 
Chiloe,  coast  defined  by  Ladrilleros    99 
China,  shorter  route  to    .        .       17,  33 
(See  North-  West  Passage.) 
piracies  on  the  coast         .        .  218 
Chinese    geoi'raplier.s,    as    to    the 

trend  of  their  coast       .         .     26 
Chonos  Archipelago,  discovered  by 

Ladrilleros     .         .        .        .99 


276 


INDEX. 


Chonos    Archipelago    explored    by 

Savraiento      ....  106 
Christiati   IV.,    of    Denmark,   des- 
patched Hall  to  Greenland  .  249 
"  Christopher,"  pinnace  in  Drake'.s 

fleet 101 

ChwlUiijh    (or    Chidby),    John,   of 

Broad  Clyst  ....  4 
friend  <.f  Davis  ...  34,  36 
voyage    to   Magellan's    Strait, 

and  death  .  .  .  112.  114 
Churchill's   Voyages,    narrative    of 

Hall's  voyage  to  Greenland,  in  250 
Chv.rchward,    family   of,    at   Stoke 

G.briel 54 

John,  in   Davis's  third  Arctic 

voyage 55 

reports  a  leak  in  the  "JF/^cn"  .     56 
Churruca,  Puerto  de,  in  Magellan's 

Strait,  Davis  at  .  .  .128 
Clements,     Francis,     a     mutineer 

against  Hudson  .  .  232,  233 
Cleves,  Duke  of,  patron  of  Mercator  147 
*^  Clifford,"  ship  sent  by  the  Earl 

of  Cumberland  to  the  South 

Sea 109 

Cloves,  E.I.C.  ships  laden  with      .  206 
Clusius,   his  account   of  Winter's 

bark 102 

Cockayne,  Sir  Wm.,  patron  of  Hail's 

voyage  to  Greenland  .  .  250 
Cockayne  (Cockin)  Sound,  in  Green- 

'land,  Baffin  at  .  250,  257,  260 
Cocke,  Captain,  of  the  "Roebuck," 

in  voyage  of  Cavendish        ,  116 
his  attack  on  Santos        .        .  117 
.  "Coc^-t(s.4nsr^  its,"  sl.ain  fighting  the 

Spanish  ships        .         .         .79 

Cod  fishery  oUlMhraior  .         .       49,  52 

Davis  sent  two  ships  to  .       57,  03 

(See  Newjouvdlo.nd.) 
Coignet,  Michael,  editor  of  wnrk  of 

Medina 151 

(See  Medina.) 
Collins,  William,  mate  in  Hudson's 

ship 227 

Columbus,  America  discovered  be- 
fore the  time  of     .        .        .15 
Behaini  a  contemporary  of      .     8S 
search  for  a  passage  into  the 

South  Sea  since  the  third 

V  'yage  of       .        .        .        .93 


145 
237 
188 
145 
145 
160 
161 


9 


109 


215 


268 


PAGE 

Columbus,  first  observed  fur  varia- 
tion of  the  com]  ass 
Comfort,  Cape,  named  by  Baffin 
Comoro  Isles,  Dutch  at    . 
Compaxs  first  used  by  Gioja 
■variation    . 
sea  and  paradoxal     . 
variation  to  bo  observed  , 
(See   Magnetic,   Dip,    Vario,- 
tion.) 
Compton,  an  estate  of  the  Gilberts 
"  Content,"  ship  in  the  first  voyage 

of  Cavendish 
Cook,  Captain,  exploded  the  theory 
of  a  great  southern  continent 
Coney  Island    , 
Corney,  Mr.  Bolton ,  corrected  errors 

in  biographies  of  Davis 
Corsini,  Italian  mereliant,  lawsuit 

respecting  a  prize.  .  .  88 
Cortereal,  Gaspar,  voyage  of  .  15,  63 
Cortes,  Martin,   Spanish  work  on 

navigMtion      ....  151 
English  translation  .        .        .  152 
Coruna,  fleet  of  Loaysa  fitted  out 

at 94 

Corvo,  Anton  Pablos,  pilot  of  Sar- 

miento 103 

Coj'vo,  one  of  the  Azores.        .        .     82 
Cotton,  Captain  Randolph,  of  the 

"Dainty"       ....  110 
deserted  by  his  ship;  guest  of 

D.ivis 118 

signed  the  document  at  Port 

Desire 126 

in  personal  danger  .        .        .  134 
sufferings  on   the  homewaid 
voyage   . 
Cowes,  "  Tiger"  sailed  from 
"  Crescent,"  ship  fitted  out  atD.art- 
mouth,  against  the  Armada 
Cross-stoff,  Cliancelhir's,  preserved 
by  Dr.  Dee     .... 
fir^t  described  by  Werner    144, 145 
constructed  by  Sarmiento,  to 

subtend  a  large  angle  .        .  152 
improvements  by  Blagrave  and 

Hood 153 

descriljed  by  Davis  .        .   100,  161 
(See  Back-Staff.) 
Cross,  Sir  Robert,  iu  command  of 

the"  Hope"  .        .       ...    78 


137 
214 


75 


13 


INDEX. 


277 


Crosie,  William,  gunner  in  Davis's 

first  Arctic  voy.ige  .  33,  36 
Cumberta,  d,  Gcorjje  Clifford,  Earl 

of,  friend  of  Davis  .  ,  35 
commanding     tlie    "Elizabeth 

Donavcitiire"  .         ,         .75 

expedition  to  the  Azores  SI.  82,  2'J3 
capture  of  prizes  ,  82,  83,  89,  90 
rescue    of    an    Knglish   boat's 

crew  off  Terceira  .  ,  .85 
his  capture  of  Horta  .  .  80 
worked  at  the  capstan  hiinscll'  88 
attL'mpt    to    obtiiiii    water   at 

Graciosa  .  .  .  .  S8 
Bufferings  on  the  return  voyage  90 
fitted  out  an  expeoitiou  to  the 

S  .uth  Sea  ...  .  109 
sold  a  f-liip  to  t'he  E.I.C.  .  .  197 
Cumberland  Gulf  named  by  Davis  ; 

explored  .         .   43,  49,  CI,  69 

Curveiilx,  East  Greenland         .         .     CO 

in  Mage  lan's  Straits        .        .  121 


" Vainli/,"  ship   owned   by   Davis 

and  Gilbert    .... 
deserted  and  went  home     118, 

(See  Cotton,  Captain  R.) 
Darcy,  of  Chiche,  Lord,  friend  of 

Davis 

Darcy  Island,  named  by  Davis 

Jlr  J  .nes  linded  ou,  after  a 

stag  ...       62 

Dart,  river,  descii  tion  of  the  reach 

near  Sandridge 
excursions  of  Gilberts,  Raleigh, 

and  Davis  on  .         .         7 

Dartmouth        ..... 

excur  ions   of  Davis  and   liis 

friends  to       ...        . 
great    resort    of    sailors ;    St. 

Pctrox  Church 
Davis  urged  merc'nants  of,  t  > 

join  in  his  enteipriso    . 
expedition  of  D.ivis  fitted  out  at 
first  Arctic  expedition  sailed 

liom 

Bccond  Arctic  expedition  s  died 

from 

third  AiCtic  expedition  sailed 

from 

two  ships  fitted  out  agai.-ist 

the  Spanish  Armada     . 


116 
119 


,63 


,  12 
4,  6 


PAGE 

Dartmoutli,  Spani-li  ship  captured 

and  towed  into      .        .        .78 
Henry  Hud.son  an  ivcd  at        .  228 
Bafiin  in,  with  "  Discovery  "    ,  257 
entrance    to,     mentioned    in 
Davis's  Sailinff  Directions     .  217 
Davis,  Arthur,  son   of   John  ;   be- 
quest to         .        .        .        .213 
Edjoard      .         .         .         .  4,6 

bequest  to      ...        .  213 
Faith  (see  Fuljord.y 
6-'i76cr(,  son  of  John,  birth       .     H 

John 2,  4 

birth  at  Sandridge        .        .      4 

houie  of 5 

excursions  to  D.irtmoutli  .  7 
visits  to  Dozomzele  .  .  8 
m  irria^e  .  .  .  9,  11 
education  .  .  .  .  9 
early  servii-e  at  sea  .  .  9 
conferences  with  Dr.  Dee  .  12 
fr.e^idsiiip  for  Adrian  Gil- 
bert .  .  .  .  11,  12 
conference    with    Secretary 

Via.  singliaui        .        .   14  to  £9 
his  view  of  Arctic  geography     25 
interview  witn  London  mer- 
chants        .        .        .       29,  30 
charter     granted    to    him, 

Raleigh,  and  Gilbert  .  31 
fitting  out  at  Dartmouth  32,44,55 
qualifications  ;edncation  and 

friendships  .         .        34,  35 

arrangements  on  board  the 

"  Suii'^hinis"        .        .        .36 
sui-vsyiiig  at  the  Scilly  Isles     37 
went  aw;ty  in  a  boat,  to  re- 
connoitre ice      .        .        .     38 
friendl.v     intercourse    wi'.h 

Eskimos      .         .         .       41,  4  i 
increa-ed  allowance  of  pro- 
visions       .        .        .       3:1,  42 
discoverie'i ;  return  from  first 

Antic  voyage  .  .  .43 
fits  out   the  second   Arctic 

expedition  .        .        .44 

constructed  an  Eskimo  vo- 
cabulary     .        .        .        .47 
decision  after  an  interview 

with  hi.s  men      .        .        .48 
return  fcom  the  second  Arc- 
tic voyage  .        .        .        .51 


278 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Davis,  John,  satisfieil  with  results  52 
third  Arctic  eNpedition  53,  55 
continued    exploring    work 

in  the  "Ellen"  .  .  57,  58 
discovery      of     Sanderson's 

Hope 5S 

his  magnetic  observations    .     59 
seamanship  in    the   Middle 

Pack 60 

his  description    of    the   ap- 
proach to  Hudson's  Strait      62 
return  from  the  third  Arc- 
tic expedition    .        .        .63 
publication  of  narratives  of 

his  voyages  .  .  63,  225 
results  of  his   Arctic  work    64, 

69,  ro 

extent  of  coast-line  defined 

by 66 

note?  on  animal  life  in  Green. 

land 67 

exploration  of  Davis  Strait  .     69 
investigations  into  nature  of 

ice 69 

examination  of  openings  to 

westward  ...  .69 
L  br.ador  coast  explored  .  TO 
war  services  .  .  .  .72 
command  of  "Black  Dog"  75,  77 
services  .igainst  the  Spanish 

Armada       .         .  78,  79,  80 

at    home   wlien  his  fourth 

child  was  born  .  ,  .81 
fits  out  the  "  Drake  "  for  the 

Azores          .         .         .         .82 
joined  the  Earl  of  Cumber- 
land      83 

met  Edward  Wright  at  Fayal  87 
fired  upon  when  attempting 

to  gret  water  .  .  .88 
attack  on  St.  Mary's  ;  r.turn 

horn  ■ 89 

priKe-money  .        .        .90,  91 
cruie  with  Captains  Middle- 
ton  .and  Harvey  .        .     91 
lawsuit  respi^ctiiig  prizes      .     91 
pl.an     to     discover    N.W.P. 

from  tlie  Pacific  .  .  92 
In    consultation    respecting 

the  Pacific  voyage     .        .     93 
arguments   for   an   attempt 
on  the  Pacific  side     .        .  104 


PAOG 

Daris,    John,    consented    to    join 

Cavendish  ....  114 
agreement  with   Cavendish 

as  to  the  N.W.P.  project  .116 
took      command      of      the 

"Desire"  ....  116 
at  Sandridge  with  his  wife 

for  the  last  time  .  .  116 
at  Port   Desire  ;    sailed   for 

Magellan's  Strait  .  .120 
abandoned  by  C:ivendish  .  124 
refitting  at  Port  De.sire  .  125 
dooiment  prepared  at  Port 

Desire  .  .  .125,  126 
discoveredthe  Falkland  Lsles  127 
speeili  to  the  master  .  129,  130 
.anxiety  to  rejoin  Caven- 
dish ....  125,  128 
his  despondency  .  .  .131 
surveys  in  Jhagellan's  Strait  133" 
address  to  di.saffected  men .  134, 
l:i5 
provisions     for     homeward 

voyage  .  .  .  .136 
hopes  shattered  .  .  .  136 
sulTerings  on  liomeward  voj-- 

age  in  "Asire"  .    137,  138 

seduction  of  his  wife  .  .  138 
his  arrest  and  acquittal  .  !39 
in  retirement  at  Sandridge  .  140 
"  Seaman's  Secrets "  .  .111 
definitions  of  kinds  of  navi- 
gation .  .  .  .160 
finding  latitude;  seji-charts  161 
his  charts  lost  ,  .  .  162 
on  the  use  I  if  globes  .  .  163 
invention  of  the  back- 
staff  .  .  .  165,  166,  168 
his   work   shown   on   Moly- 

neux  globe          .        .        .  167 
valu.able  woi-k  in  his  retire- 
ment   168 

his  "  World's  Hydrographi- 

cal  Discovery  "  .  .  .  169 
review       of       his       Arctic 

work  ....  173,  175 
ship  capttn-ed  .  .  .  176 
served      under     Es-ex     at 

Cadiz  .  .  .  .178 
proceeded  to  Zeeland  .  .  184 
pilot  in  Dutch  expedition  .  185 
at  Fernando  Noronba  .        ,  185 


INDEX. 


279 


Davis,  John,  on  conduct  of  Dutch 

in  Saldanha  Bay         .        .  18" 
hydrogT.iphical    note3    dur- 
ing Dutch  voyage      .        .188 
received     by    the    King    of 

Achen  .        .        .        .100 

his   defence   of    tlie    Dutcli 

ship    ....   101,  2e3 
his  narrative  of  the  Dutch 

voyage         ....  194 
pilot  of  the  "Dragon,"  E.I.C. 

ship 199 

at  Sandridge  ....  200 
on   treatment  of  natives  in 

Table  Bay  .  .  .  .202 
skill  as  a  navigator  .  .  203 
navigation  of  coast  of  Suma- 
tra ...  ,  206 
services  to  the  E.  I.  C.  .  210 
engaged  to  marry  Judith 
Havard       .        .        .        .212 

his  will 213 

joined  the  "  Tiger  "  as  pilot    214 
sailing    directions    for    Su- 
matra  217 

his  neglect  to  disarm  pirates  219 

murder 220 

buried  in  the  Straits  of  Ma- 
lacca    221 

review  of  his  career ;    char- 
acter ....   222,  223 
writings         ....  225 
his  routes  for  further  dis- 
covery        .        .        .    226,  265 
mentioned  with  respect  by 

Baffin 560 

biographies    .        .        .   268,  269 
John,  of  Limehou.se  .        .        .  263 
Davy,  Henry,  gunner,  the  first  expe- 
dition of  Davis       .        .       33,36 
Dawson,  Tliomas,  printer  of  works 

of  Davis          .        .        .    158,  169 
Dee,    Dr.,    conferences    with,    re- 
specting the  N.W.  P.     .       12,13 
his  library  at  Mortlake    .         .     13 
prnmoter  of  Frobisher's  voy- 
ages         20 

conference      with     Secretary 

Walsingham  .  ,  .15  to  29 
left  England  .  .  .30,  31 
treatises  of,  on  navijration  .  153 
notices  of  Davis  in  his  diary   .  268 


"Delight"  of  Bristol,  ship  in  Cliud- 

leigh's  expedition  .        .  112 

Denmark  {aee  Christiun  JV.) 

Depl/ord,.  the    Queen     dined    on 

board  hrike's  sliip  at  .  ,  103 
Fox  sailed  from         .        .        .  240 

Descatlo,  Cape,  named  by  Magellan    95 

"Desire,"  ship  in  the  first  voyage 

of  Cavendish  ....  109 
commanded  by  Davis  .  .  115 
unsatisfactory  crew.        .        .  116 

mutiny 125 

refitted  at  Port  Desire  .  .1-25 
entered  the  Pacific  .  .  .129 
weathered  Cape  Pillar  .  .  132 
voy:ige  home  .  .  .  137,  133 
form  of  the  log  of     .        .        .163 

Desire,  Port,  iu  Patagonia,  dis- 
covered by  Cavendish  .  .110 
Merrick's  ship  anchored  at  .  113 
Davis  refitting  at  .  .  120,  135 
description  ....  120 
Hues  and  Davics  meet  at         .  156 

Desolation,    Land    of    (.see    Green- 
land)      .  .         .       39,  51 

Diego  Garcia  Island  .        .        .  216 

Digges,    Sir    Dudley;    Habakkuk 

Prickett,  Ids  servant  .  .  229 
patron  of  Baffin's  voyage         .  256 

Digges,  Cape  Dudley,  in  Baffin's 

Bay 259 

Digges,  Cape,  in  Hudson's  Strait ; 

myri  ids  of  birds  .  229,  230,  238 
mutineers  of    Hudson's  sliip 

land  at 232 

Button's  ships  at     .        .        .  234 

Baffin  off 238 

Captain  James  off  .  .  .  238 
sit' h  ted  by  Fox         .        .        .241 

/)(/)  of  the  magnetic  needle  .  59,153 
observed  by  Baffin   .        .        .  261 

Discord,  Cape,  .sighted  by  Davis    .     39 

"i)(gcor(?7?/,"  stiip  of  Hudson  .  .  228 
sailed  from  Grcenhithc  .  .  229 
wintered,    with    Hudson,    in 

James  Bay  ....  2C9 
left  winter  quarters         .        .  2.'i0 

mtitiuy 231 

off  Capo  Digges  .  .  .232 
voyage  home  with  survivors  .  233 
in  Button'.s  expo  iition  .  .  234 
commanded  by  Gibbous.        .  230 


280 


INDEX. 


PACE 

"  Discovery,"   Bylot  and  Baffin  in 

Hudson's  Striiit  .  .  .230 
Baffin's  Bay  discovered  .  255,  257 
off  Smitli's  Hound    .        .        .29 

return 260 

Z)(a(Vt<n(i,  on  the  Dait  .  .  .6,8 
Doughty,  Master,  in  Drake's  fleet, 

belieaded  ....  101 
Drw/on  (see  lied  Dragon.) 
Dra/.e,  Sir  Francis  ....  4 
ill  command  of  the  "  Revenge  "  75 
Vice-.\dniiial  of  the  Fleet  .  76 
ship  of  Valdez  surrendered  to  78 
attacked  ihe  Siianish  fleet  .  80 
his  knowledge   of  Magellan's 

voyage 100 

his  circumnavigation       .    loi,  172 
in  M.ige'lau's  Strait;  sighted 

C  ipo  Hr.rn  .  .  .  .102 
discoveries  on  the  west  cuast 

of  North  America  .  .  .  103 
liis   track    on    the   Molyneux 

globe 167 

"  Drcad/io!((/7(<,"  Quren'sship  .  75 
Driinys  Winteri  (Winter's  Bark)  .  103 
Drogco,  on  tlie  Zeim  niaj)  .  19,  20 
Dudley,    Sir    Robert,    mention   of 

Davis  by  ...  .  26S 
Dujfryn,  homeof  Sir  J.  Button  .  284 
Duisburg,  residence  of  Mercator  .  147 
Dunkirk,  Duke  of  Parma  at  .  .  73 
Dursey  Head    .        .        .        .        .44 

ii-land 233 

Dutch,    tlieir  first  voyage   to  tlie 

East  Indies  .  .  .  .182 
voyages    for   the    North-East 

Passage  ....  182,  1S3 
second    voyage    to    the    East 

Indies  ....  184,  185 
want  of  discipline  .  .  .  186 
quarrel   with   Caffres,   at   the 

Cape 187 

arrival  at  Achcn  .  .  .188 
attached  by  the  Achenese  190,  191 
return  voyage  .  .  .  192,  193 
services  of  l)avis  to  .  .  .  194 
Dyer,  Sir  Ed  war  1,  patron  of  Davis  34 
Dyer,  Cape,  named  by  Davis  .        .     42 

" Eagle,"  E.l.C.  ship       .        .        .263 

East  Jiulia  C'ompaiiy        .         .         .   194 

Sir  J.  Smitli,  founder  of .        .  190 


PAGE 

East    India    Company,    incorpora- 
tion; first  voyage.        .         .  197 
fitting  out  the  first  fleet .        .  198 
first  flt:et  sailed         .         .         .199 

voyage 200 

scurvy 201 

at.  Table  Bay  ....  2i'l 
intercourse  with  Caffres  .  .  202 
arrival  at  Achen  .  .  .  204 
treaty  ....  205,  216 
Sumatra  coast  and  B,an  tarn  206,  207 
stormy  voyage  home         .         .  207 

return 209 

second  voyage  under  Middle- 
ton        209 

services  of  Lancaster  and  Davis 

to 210,  213 

future  greatness  of  .  .  .  209 
Baffin  entered  service  of  .  .  261 
seventh  voyage  .  .  .  262 
fleet  under  Captain  Shilling  .  262 
Eden,  Richard,  collection  of  voy- 
ages         114 

hi^  translation  of  Cortes  .         .  152 
(See  Corlcs.) 
Edioard  J  V.  om'b:xrko\  at  \' cere     .  179 
"  EduardBonaventure,"\ji.ii(::i6ter'a 
si  lip,  in  his  first  voyage  to 
India      .        .        .        .        .195 
Eliot,  Sir  John,  his  pr:dse  of  Queen 

Elizalieth        ....      3 
beheld  Raleigh's  exccutinn     .  211 
Elizabelli,  Queen,  times  of      .        .  2,  4 
worthies  of        .        .        .  2,  3,  4,  5 
Sir  John  Eliot's  praise  of  .       3 

declared  war  on  Spain  .  32,  72 
Sir  Frai.cis  Drake  introduced 

to 100 

dined  on  board  Drake's  ship  .  281 
penerosity  to  Sarmiento  .  .  108 
htudy  of  navigation  in  the  days 

of 141 

two  gieat  events  at  the  close 

of  her  reign    ....  195 
her  letter  to  the  King  of  Achen  205 
berlet:crdelivered  tothe  King 
of  Bantam      .         .        .         .206 

death 211 

"Elizalieth  Bonavenlure,"   Queen's 

ship 74 

Eail  of  Cunibcrhmd  i  i  com- 
mand of         ...       75, 81 


INDEX. 


281 


PAOE 

"  Elizabeth  Jonas,"   Queen's  eliip, 

built  by  Sir  J.  Hawkins       .     74 
Sir  Robert  Southwell,  cnptain 

of 75 

in  action 79 

"  Elizabeth,"  vessel  in  Davis's  thiixi 

Arctic  voyage         .         .         .65 
sent  to  the  cod  fishery     .       56,  63 
"Elizabeth,"     Winter's     ship,     in 

Drake's  voyage      .        .11,  102 
Elizabeth    Island,     in     Magellan's 

Strait 133 

Elizabethan  Guild  (see  Exeter). 
"Ellen,"  clincher  in  Davis's  third 

Arctic  voyage         .        .        .54 
Daviscontinued  his  discoveries 

in 56 

off  San.lerson's  Hope        .       58,59 
in  the  middle  pack  .        .        .60 
struck  on  a  rock;  return  to 
England         .        .        .        .63 
Ellis,  Jobn,  master  of  the  "  Moon- 
shine " 33 

at  Gilbert  Sound       .        .        .41 
"Emma,"  a  busse  of  Bridgewater, 

with  Frobisher      .         .         .23 
Enciso,  M.irtin  Fernandez,  his  work 

on  navigation        .        .        .  150 
English,  Mr.  (see  Fulford,  Anne). 
English  flet-t  to  resist  the  Spanish 

Amiada 74 

weight  of  ordnance  .        .        .74 
new  ships  built  by  Sir  John 

Hawkins        .        .        .        .74 
Queen's  ships    .        .        .74,  75 
volunteers  ;  Lord  Howard  ad- 
miral       75 

captains ;  fleet  at  Plymouth  75,  76 
admiral  engaged  Spanish  rear 

ships 78 

in  action  with  Spaniards        79,  80 

victory 80 

Enkhuysen,  home  of  Linscboten     .  181 
Enriquez,  Diego Tellode, command- 
ing the  "  San  Juande  Slcilia"    73 
Ephemei-is  ofStadms,  used  by  Davis  161 
(See  Almanac.) 

Erato.it  henes 141 

calculation  of  the  earth's  cir- 
cumference  ....  142 
Ercilla,  epic  poem  of      .        .         .98 
Erik  Uada,  diBco\ervr  ol  Greenland     68 


PAGE 

Esi:imo.t,    Frobisher's    intercour.c 

with 22 

friendly  intercourse  with  Da- 
vis   41,  46 

their  misconduct      .        .       47,  5i> 
at  Sukkertoppen      .        .        .48 
intercourse  with  Captain  Pope    51 
kill  tlie  murderers  of   Hud- 
son        .        .        .        .232,  233 
Captain  Hall's  account  of         .  249 
murder  of  Captain  Hall  by      .  251 
account  of,  by  BafBu        .   251,  258 
"  Espei-anza ,"  a  ship  in  the  expe- 
dition of  Sarmiento      .        .  105 

disabled 107 

Essex,  Earl  of,  expedition  to  Cadiz 

and  Azores  .  .  .  .177 
John  Davis  served  under  178,  268 
proposed  the  Dutch  voyage  t-< 

Davis     ....    178,  184 
letter  of  Davis  to,   after  the 
Dutch  voyage        .        .         .  194 
Estmi,  William,  master  of  the  "Sun- 
shine "    .        .        .        .83,  35 
survey  of  provisions  by   .        .36 
caught  a  porpoise     .        .        .37 
vrent  in  a  boat  to  reconnoitre  ire  38 
intercourse  with  Eskimos       .     40 
with  D.avis,  in   second  Arctic 

voyage 44 

explored  the  fiord  at  Sukker- 
toppen    48 

Estolilund,  on  the  Zeno  map    19,  20,  24 
suppo.sed  to  be  Newfoundland    24 
Exeter,  merchants  of,  join  in  the 

Arctic  venttn-e  .  .  30,  33 
John  Davy,  maj'or  of  .  .36 
merch.-mts  subscribe  for  second 

Arctic  voy.ige  .  .  .43 
mercliants   fall  off   from    the 

tliird  voyage .         .         .         .53 
Elizabetli,  Guild  of,  entries  as 
to  Davis         ....  268 
Exeter  Sound,  on  west  coast  of  Davis 

Strait,  named  by  Davis        .     42 

FaUland    Islands,    discovery    by 

Davis 127 

other  visits  ;  ongin  of  the  name  128 
Falmouth,  Davis  puts  info  .  .  37 
Famine,  Port    .         .         .         .104,  109 

last  survivors  of  settlers  .   Ill,  119 


282 


INDEX. 


PAfiE 

/•ami7i«,  Port,  Davis  at   .         .   122,12! 

(See  San  Ftlipe.) 

FarewcU,  Cape         .        .        .       21,  ce 

rounded  by  Davis     .        .        .39 

name  given  by  D.-ivis       .        .     44 

rounded  by  Cai>t:dn  Popfi        .     51 

Pij,'liied  by  Baffin      .         .         .236 

Foyniin  the  Azures         .        .        .83 

description  (see  Horta)    .        .     84 

Martin  Behaim  settled  at        .     88 

Fenncr,  Captain,  in  command  of  the 

"  l:ionjiareil"     .         .         .         .76 
Edieard,  in   command  of  tlie 

"  Mary  Rose "        .        .        .76 
Jolin,  in  command  of  the  "  Aid  "  76 
Fenton,  Captain  Edward,  witli  Fro- 

bisher 23 

Fernando  Noronha,  tlie  Dutch  at, 

notice  of         .        .        .    185,  193 
Tegetatioii         ....    215 
Fire-ships  sentagainst  Spanish  fleet 

oflf  Calais        ...       79,  80 
Fisheiy  (see  Cod  fishery.) 
Fitch,  Ralph,  the  first  Englishman 

in  India        ....    195 
Fitz  Roy,  Admiral  Robert,  account 

of  Magellan's  Strait     .         .     122 
Flanuteed,  hia  improvement  in  Da- 
vis's back-stafiE     .        .        .     266 
Fleming,     Captain,     sighted    the 

Spanish  fleet         .        .        .     77 
Fletcher,  Mr. ,  historian  of  Drake's 
voyage,  on  the  beauty  of  the 
scenery  in  Magellan's  Strait  102 
his  account  of  tlie  west  coast 
of  North  America .        .        .  103 
Florence,  galleon  of,  in  the  Spanish 

Armada 73 

Ftores,  Isle  of.  Earl  of  Cumberland  at  iS 
Flushing,  services  of  Sir  Humpljrey 

Gilbert  at  .  .  .  9,  180 
a  cautionary  town  .  .  .  179 
Dutch  fleet  for   India    sailed 

from 185 

"  Fm-esight,"  Qaeen'a  ship      .        .75 
Foi-ster,  naturalist  in  Cook's  second 
voyage;  first  to  describe  Win- 
ter's bark       .        .        .        .112 
Fotherby,    Robert,    master's    mate 

with  Baffin     .         .         .         .254 
wrote  the  journal  of  the  Spitz- 
beigen  voyage        .         .         .  255 


PAGE 

Fox,  Luke,  his  opinion  that  Davis 

lighted  Hudson  into  his  sti  ait  62 
mentions  heaving  the  log  .  1.03 
gave  an   account  of  Button's 

vnyage 2:j5 

notice  of 238 

fittingout  his  N.W.  expedition  240 
quotations  from  .  240,211,243 
meeting  with  Captain  James  .  242 
tidal  observations  .  .  .  243 
"Ijis  Farthest"  ,  .  .  '.'43 
return  liome  ....  244 
discoveries  ....  265 
Fox's  Channel  named  by  Sir  Edward 

Parry 243 

Frampton,  John,  his  translation  of 

Medina's  navigation     .        .  152 
Franklin,  Sir  John,  followed  one 
of  the  routes   indicated  by 
Davis ;  reason  of  his  failure     70 

Frio,  Cape 117 

Frisland,  visited  by  the  Zeni         .     19 
on  the  Zeno  map       ,         .       19,  20 
Frobisher's  idea  of  .        .20  to  23 
Frnbisher,      Sir     Martin,     Arctic 

voyages  ...  20,  24,  65 
in  command  of  the  "  Triumph"    75 

knighted 79 

Froude,  Mr.,  mistakes  in  his  bio- 
graphy of  Davis     .        .        .  269 
Fro^oard,  Cape,  in  Magellan's  Strait, 

named  by  Cavendish  .  Ill,  113 
Davis  off    .        .        .    122,  123,  VIS 

Frozen  Strait 237 

Ful/ord,  Andre'io      ....      8 
Adrian  Gilbert  married  his 
widow         .        .        .        9,  11 
Anne  ... 
married     Mr.     English     of 
Totnes 
Sir     Baldwin,     m.arried     the 

heiress  of  Bozomzele 
Cecilia        .... 

married  Adama  of  Wadditon 
Elizabeth    .... 

married  Gary  of  Gary  Barton 
Faith  .... 

not  mentioned  in   Herald 

visitation  . 
married  to  John  Davis  .  11 
still  faithful  ....  65 
seduced loS 


11 


11 


INDEX. 


233 


PACK 

Fuller,  Thomas,  of  Ipswicli,  with 

Cavendish      ....   10.» 
"Furiou!:  Overfall," shovrn  on  Moly- 

neux  globe  and  new  map     .  108 
one  of  Davis's  route  for  furtlier 
discovery  226,  228,  229,  238,  247, 
2C5 

Fox  at 240 

(See  Hudson's  Strait.) 

"Gabriel,"  Froblsher's  ship  in  his 

Arctic  voyage        .        .       21,  22 
Gali    (or    Se     Gualle)     Francisco, 

voyage  across  the  Pacific     .   104 
GuUego,  Ilcrnan  and  Pedro,  pilots 

in  expedition  of  L:ifir  Herns      99 
Gatovby,  John,  narrative  of  Hall's 

Greenland  voy.age  .         .  250 

GelUrt,  Jacques,  of  Fliishin<r; 
daughter  mamed  to  R.m- 
dolph      .        .  .        .  184 

Gemina  Frisius  on  the  insularitj' 

of  America     .        .         .        .     25 
on   the  N.W.   passage   having 

been  made     .        .         .        .     27 
proposed    method    of    finding 

longitude        ....  145 
master  of  Gerard  Mcica'or      .  147 
Gibbons,    Captain,    relative   of    Sir 

T.  Button       ....  234 
"His  Hole"        .  .        .230 

Gilbert  Sound  (Godthaab),  named 

bv  Davis         .        .        .40,  45 
Cap'  ain  Pope  at        .        .        .51 
Davis  at     .        .        .         .57,  66 
Gilbert,     Dr.,    of    Colchester,     on 

terrestri.il  magnetism  ,        .  '54 

Gilbert  family 4 

crest       .        .                 .        .     10 
Adrian       .... 
excursions  to  Dartmouth 
visits  to  Bozoinzele 
married  to  Fulford's  widow      9, 
11,  12 
his  attainments     .        .        .10 
rented    a    Inaise    at    Sand- 
ridge  11 

conferences  with  Dr.  Dee   12,  14 

to  29 

assisting  Davis      .        .       30,  32 

in  consultation  on  theP.ac  fio 

voyage         .        .      92,  114,  115 


Gilbert,    Adrian,    owned     a    ship 

jointly  with  Davis     .        .  115 

death 222" 

Humphrey .         .        .         .         6,  12 

education,  services       .  9 

discour.se  on  the  N.W.P.      9,  10, 

13,  24,  26 

voyage    to    Newfoundland  ; 

iieath  .        .        .        .10,  221 

John  ......       0 

a  magistrate  ....      9 

Gioja^   Flavio,  first  u.sed  the  com- 
pass          145 

&7o/(f,  used  by  Davis  .  .  34,14'? 
Davis  on  use.>  of  .  .  .103 
constructed  I  y  Mai-tin  Behaim  88, 
144,  iiote 
constructed  ly  Mercat'  r  .  147 
desciiption   of  the  Molyneux 

globes 167 

treatise  on,  by  Hues         .         .    156 
circumnavigation    (see    Cano, 
Carendi-'h,  Drake). 
Goats,  at  St.  Helena      .        .        .     209 
God's    Mercy,     Cape,     named    by 

Davis      ....        42,  49 
Bay  of,  in  ilf:ipell,an's  Strait     .  127 
Gmhhaab  (see  Gilbert  Sound). 
"  Golden      Hind,"     ship     in     Sir 

Humphrey  Gilbert's  fleet  10 

Drake's  slnp     .        .        .    101,  lu2 
(See  Pelican.) 
Goniara,  quoted  as  to  a  N.W  P.      .     25 

Gombroon 2()4 

Gomez,  Estevan,  voyage  of      .        .16 
Gomez,   Don    Diego,    Governor    of 

Fayal,  surrendered        .         .     86 

ffooi? //o/'f.  Cape  of .         .         .         .  195 

firoposal  of  Cavendish  t  o  round  1 23 

Dutch  ships  sail  rouni  ISO,  1S7, 103 

K.I.C.  fleet         .        .        .    202,  207 

"  Tifjer's  Jf  A«??'".sepai-!itedfi-om 

her  consort  off  .        .215 

Gracechvrch  Street,  house  of  Sir  J. 

Suiith  in  ...  .  193 
Gracio.<ta,  one  of  the  Azores  .  84,  88 
Gravelines,  rendezvous  of  Spanish 

fleet 80 

Gravesend,  second  E.I.C.  fleet  sailed 

from 209 

"  Diicover;;,"    in    1616,    sailed 
from 257 


284 


INDEX. 


TACE 

Great  Circle  Sailinr/.        .  .   HiO 

Greei>,  Ilunry,  with  Hudson  .  2;!9 

chief  mutineer  .         .         .    230,  232 

deatli 23  i 

Greenland    discovered    by    Norse- 

Tiieii  .  .  .  .  H,  C8 
visit  of  NicoI6  Zeno  ;  on  tlie 

Zeno  map  .  .  .  .19 
siglited  by  Krobisher  .  .  21 
extent  of  coast  known  .  .  27 
sighted     by    Davis ;     named 

"Desolation"  .  .  .39 
scenery  .  .  .  .  40,  45 
re-discovered  and  made  known 

by  Davis  .  .  .  .67 
extent  of  coast  laid  down  by 

Davis 66 

description  of  coast  and  glacier    66 
east   coast    sighted    by   Hud- 
son         227 

voyage  of  Captain  Hull  to        .249 

account  of,  by  Baffin        .        .251 

Dr.  Hink  on  the  trees  of  .        ,  252 

Greenhitlie,  Hudson  sailed  from     .  229 

Greenicay  Court,  ou  the  Dart,  seat 

of  the  Gilberts       .       6,  8,  9,  211 

(?!(f(<!(fco,  Drake  at  .        .        .        .103 

"  Guest,"  store-hip  in  E.I.C.  fleet  .  197 

abandoned         ....  201 

Guetaria,  native  place  of  Seb.astian 

del  Cano         .        .        .        .95 
Guevara,  Spanish  writer  on  navi- 
gation      150 

English  translation  .        .        .   152 

Guiana 4 

Guillemots  at  Hope  Sanderson        .     58 

at  Cape  Digges  .         .   229,  233,  238 

at  Cape  Shackleton  .        .        .  258 

Guinea,  voyage  of  Hawkins  to       .       7 

Guipuzcoa,    squadron     of,     under 

Miguel  de  Oquendo       .        .     72 
(See  Biisqves,  Oquendo.) 
Gurnet/,  Kit,  cabin-boy  in  the  "  Sun- 

shine" 36 

Hadley's  quadrinit  ....  166 
Hakluyt,  Richard,  at  Oxford  with 

Raleigh 11 

published  narratives  of  Davis's 

voyages  .        .         .        .64,  268 
translated  the  work  rif  Ijopcz 
Vaz 109 


PAOB 

llakluyt,    Richard,   published   the 
Magellan    Strait   voyage   of 

Davis 139 

narrative  of  Fitch's  journey  to 

India 195 

Hakluyt  Head,  Spitzbergen,  sighted 

by  Hudson     ,        .        .        .227 

Bafiiu  off 254 

Hakluyt  Island,  in  Baffin's  Bay      .   259 
"  Half  Moon,"   Hudson's  ship,  in 

his  third  voyage    .        .        .  228 
Hall,   Captain,   voyages  to  Green- 
land         249 

his  expedition  .        .        .    250,  257 

deatli 251 

Ilalley,  his  nav  r,'ation  problem      .  IJfl 
Hans  Efjede,  lighted  to  tlie  scenes 
of  his  Gieenland  labours,  by 

Davis 71 

Hardness,  part  of  Dartmouth  dock- 
yard         7 

ffarris's  Voyages,  notice  of  death  of 

Davis  in  ....  268 

"i/art,"E.I.C.  ship, Captain  Blithe  263 
"  Hart,"  Dartmouth  ship,  fitted  out 

against  the  Ann.ada      .         .    75 
Harvey,    Captain,     ciuising     with 

Davis 91 

Hatton,  Sir  Christopher,  p.atron  of 

Sir  Fr.ancis  Drake         .        .  100 
name  of  Drake's  ship  changed 
to  that  of  his  cre-t         .         .  101 
Havard,    Judith,    iiousekeeper    of 

John  Davis    ....  200 
engaged  to  be  married  to  Davis  212 
bequest  to,  in  Davis's  will       .  213 
Hawkins,  natives  of  Plymouth       .      4 
Sir  John,  voy:ige  to  Guinea     .      7 
new  ships  of  w.ar  designed  by    74 
in  command   of   the   "  Vic- 
tory"    75 

Rear-Adminil  of  the  Fleet    .     76 

in  action ;  knighted      .        .     79 

his  West  India  voyage  .        .  171 

praise  of         ...        .  172 

Richard,  in  coiumand   of  the 

"  Sioallou"  .        .        .75 

sighted  the  Falkland  Islands  127 

Hawkrideie,   Captain,    with   Sir  J. 

Button 234 

Hayes,  Captain,  with  Sir  Humphrey 

Gilbert  ui  his  last  voyage     .     10 


INDEX. 


285 


PAGE 

"Heart's    Ease,"    one    of    Capta  u 

Hall's  ships  in  his  Greenland 

voya^'e    .... 

consort   of  the    "  Thoniasine 

in  Spitzbeiyeii 

(See  Barker.  Jluntriss.) 

Hecla  and  Fury  Strait 

"  JJector,"  sliip  in  the  E.I.C.  fleet 

losses  by  death 

proceeded  to  Priaraan 

death  of  the  captain 

stood  by  her  consort  when  in 

danger   . 

Hellowes,  Ed.,  translator  of  Gue^ 

vava's  navigation  . 
UMuland  of  the  Norsemen,  idenli 

fied  with  Newfoundland 
Henry  the  Navigator,  Prince    com 
pass    used    in    expeditio:is 
of    . 
Herald's  Visitation  (see  Westcote). 
Heriot,  Thomas,  chapter  on  the  use 

of  rhumbs  ;  notice  of    . 
Hernandez,  Tome,  survivor  rescued 
by  Cavendish 

esc.iped 

Heywood,  Captain,  of  the  "Susan" 
in  E.I.C.  voya;,'e    . 

Hiffinus 170 

"  Hind  "  (see  "  Golden  Hind  "). 

Hipparchus 141 

his  discoveries  .        ,        ,        .  1-J2 

Holiteinborg 249 

Hoi  way,  of  Wadditon 
Homer        .... 
Hondius  used  Wright's  tables  for 

his  map  of  the  world    . 
Honeyman,     Mr.,     sliip    of,    com 

nianded  by  Davis  . 
Hood,  Dr.,  Thomas,  his  edition  of 
Bonnie's  works 
improvements    in    the    astro- 
labe          

treatise     on     the     Molyneux 

globe 

engaged  to   lecture   on   navi- 
gation      

"/fope,"  Queen's  sliip 

Captain  Cross  iu  ciimmand 
"  Hopewell,"  Hudson's  ship     . 
"Hopes  dueled,"   name  given  by 

Button  .        .        .        .234 


250 

254 

69 
197 
203 
206 
206 

20S 

152 


145 


156 


110 
111 


197 


170 


155 


176 


153 


153 


167 


196 
74 
76 

227 


PACE 

Hopkins,    Mr.,   with   Davis  in   the 

Dutch  ship      .     1S5,  187,  189,  IPO 

defended  the  Dutch  ship         .  Iwl 

Horizontal  sailing    .         .         ,         .10) 

Hor)i,  Cape 100 

sighted  by  Drake      .        .        .  102 
Horla,  capital  of  F.4yal    .         .         .84 
captured  by  the  Earl  of  Cum- 
berland .        .        .        .85 
description         .        .        .        .86 
chief    inhabitants    on     board 
the  "  Victory  '        .        .        .87 
Houston,  Captain,  of  ship  fitted  out 

at  Dartmouth         .         .         .77 
Houtruan,  Cornelius  de,  comnuindcd 
the  first  Dutch  voyage  to 
the  East  Indies  .        .        .  182 
commanded      the      second 

Dutch  voyage  .  .  .  184 
nnfitness  for  command  18  i,  187 
received    by    the    king    of 

Acheu  ....  189 
jealous  of  Davis  .  .  .  189 
murdered  by  the  Achenese 

190,  191,  212,  225 
Frederick  de,  cnmniandcd  the 

"  Leeuwin " .  .  .  .  184 
prisoner  at  Aehen  .         .  191 

his  Malay  dictionary     .         .  192 
come    on  board  the   E.I.C. 

fleet 204 

Howard,  Lord,  of  Effingham  ;  Lord 

Admiral  .        .        .        .75 

oil  hoiiTd  the"  All- Royai"  75,76 
in  Plymouth  Sound  .  .  .77 
attacked    the    rear     Spanish 

ships 78 

engaged  the  "  Sciii  iVarcoi  "  .  73 
organising     his      fleet ;     hot 

action 79 

preparing  fircships  .        .        .79 
victory  over  the  Spanish  Ar- 
mada       80 

"  Seaman's  Secrets,"  dedicated  t  > 

81,  113,  158 
in    commund    of    the    "Ark 

lioyal  "  at  Cadiz     .         .         .177 
Captain   Raymond,  a  servant 

of 196 

Howard,  Lord  Thomas,  Captiiin  of 

the  "  Lion "    .        .        .        .75 
took  his  ship  into  action         .    79 


286 


INDEX. 


Howard,  Lord  Thomas,  knighted  .     79 

at  Cadiz 177 

Hozes,    Francisco  de,    in   fluot    of 

Lo:iysii 96 

discovered  Stjiten  Inhind  .        .    97 
Uh(Uo»,  Henry,  z  \  possibiy  known 

to  Davia  .  .  .29,  226 
"lighted  into  his  hay"   by 

D.ivis  ...  62,  71,  226 
voyages    for    the    Muscovy 

Company  .  .  .  2J7,  228 
voyage  for  the  Dut^h  .  .  228 
eent  to  discover  a  N.W.P.  .  229 
journal     ends  ;     uiscovered 

Hudson's  Bay  .  .  .229 
seized  and  turned  adrift  by 

mutineers  ....  231 
his  services    ....  233 
discoveries     ....  265 
Jack,   sou  of  Henry  Hudson, 

shared  his  cabin  .  227,  228 
with  his   fatber  in  liis  last 

voyage         ....  229 
set  adrift  with  his  father      .  232 
rko,)uii      .        .        .        .29,  226 
Hudson's    Bay,    discovery    of,   by 

Hud  on 229 

west  siie  discovered  by  But- 
ton ....    234,  235 
Fox  on  western  side         .        .  242 
Company  formed      .        .        .  247 
Hudson's  River  .        .         .         .228 
Hudson's  Strait         .        .         .         .28 
entrance  discovered  by  Davis       52 
description  of,  approach  to      62,  69 
discovery  by  Hudson       .        .  229 
Button  sailed  through      .    23i,  235 
Baffin  in     .        .         .         .    236,  237 
consequences  of  discovery       .  247 
chart  of,  by  Baffin    .        .        .255 
James    checked    by    the    ice 

in 288 

stiite  of  ice  when  navigated  by 
Fox         ....   240,  243 
Hues,  Robert,  the  matliematiciaTi, 

with  Cavendish     .        .    116,  141 

notice  of 155 

his  treatise  on  the  globe  .    156,  167 
"  Ha(/h  Gallant,"   siiip   in   Caven- 

disli's  first  voyage         .        .  109 
Hull,  expedition  of  Hall  fitted  out 

at 251 


PAGE 

Hantrtss,  William,  of  Scarborough, 

ioliower  of  Hall  .  .  .250 
mate  of  the  " //(;a?-«'s-/;"a»e"  .  250 
became  master  on  Hall's  death  251 

Icaria,  on  the  Zeno  map  .        .     19 

Icelaad,  voyages  to,  from  Bristol  .     15 

Greenland  colonised  from        .     14 

on  tlie  Zeno  map       .        .        .     20 

Captain  Pope  at,  in  tlie  "  Sun- 

shiin" 51 

Ice  first  met  with  by  Davis  .  .  38 
on  tlie  east  coast  of  Greenland  39 
middle  pack  in  Davis  Strait  .  60 
carried  down  to  Newfoundland  170 
observations  of  Davis  on  .  .69 
Icebergs    of    great    size    seen    by 

Davis      .        .        .        .       47,  69 
Incas,  knowledge  of  traditions  pos- 
sessed by  Sarmiento     .         .   105 
Tupiic   Yupanqui,  discovery  of 
islands  by      ...        .  105 
Ingram,  Captain,  second  in  com- 
mand with  Button        .        .  234 
IpsiBick  (see  Falter,  T.). 
"  Island  Voyage,"  Earl  of  Essex  in 

command  of  .        .        .        .  177 

Jaxkinan,  Charles,  voyage  of  .        .17 
James  I. ,  his  grant  to  Sir  K.  AHchel- 

borne 214 

James,  Captain,  of  Bristol,  sent  to 

Hudson's  Bay        .        .        .  238 
meeting  with  Fox     .        .        .  242 
in  winter  quarters   .        .    244,  245 
return  to  Biistol       .        .        .  246 
James  Bay,  Hudson's  winter  quar- 
ters in 229 

Janes,  Mr.  John,  nephew  of  Mr. 

Sanderson  .  .  .  32,  33 
supercargo  in    Davis's   Arctic 

voyages .  .  .  .  33, 35 
with  Davis,  surveying  the  So  lly 

Isles 37 

in  a  boat  to  reconnoitre  t  lie  Ice    33 
at  Gilbert  Sound,  intercourse 

with  Eskimos  .  .  .40 
encounter  with  polar  bears  .  42 
sailed  with  Davis  in  the  third 

Arctic  voyage        .        .         .54 
description    of    approach    to 
Iludsou  Strait       .        .        ,61 


INDEX. 


2S7 


PAGE 

Jaru>,  Mr.  Jnhn,  landed  on  Darcy 

Island  after  stag-  .  .  .62 
wrote  the  narratives  of  Davis's 

v<iyages 63 

■with   Davis  in  the  voyage  to 

Magelan  Strait  .  116, 119,  126 
revived  the  spirits  of  Cuptain 

Davis 131 

his  admiration  of  Davis  as  a 

sui-veyor  ....  133 
in  personal  danger  .  .  .  134 
Bufferings  on  the   homeward 

voyage 138 

his   narratives  of  voyages  of 
Davis     .        .         .    139,  225,  i:6S 
Jansen,  Zachariah,  inventor  of  tlie 

telescope  ....  179 
Jtrpon,  Englisli  factory  in  .  .  209 
Japanese  pirates,  "  THger  "  falls  in 

with 218 

intercourse  with       .        .        .  219 
murderers  of  Captain  D.avis    .  220 
Jashk,  near  the  Persian  Gulf,  Por- 

tugruese  fleet  off    .        .        .  263 
Captain  Shilling  buried  at      .  264 
Java  (see  Bantayti). 
Jenkhiion,      Anthony,     advocated 

N.E.P 17,  171 

Johanna  (Comoro  Islands)  .  .  ISS 
Jol.ore  ....  189,  190,  218 
Jones,  Sir  Francis,  patron  of  Baf- 
fin's voyage  ....  25G 
Jone»  Sound  in  BaflBn's  Bay  .  .  259 
Joseph,  Captain  Beujauiiu,  wlialing 

voyage  to  Spitzbergen  .        ,  252 
his  treatment  of  foreign  ships   253 
second  voyage  to  Spitzbertren    254 
"  Judith,"  ship  in  Frobisher's  third 

Arctic  voyage        .        .        .     23 
Juet,    Robert,    mate    with    Hud- 
sou 229 

disrated 230 

joined  the  mutiny   .        .        .  231 
death £32 

Kara  Sea,  7  ;   voy.-ge  of  Stephen 

Borough  .  .  10,  17,  26 
Kepler,  correspondent  of  Heriot  .  156 
Kippis,    Dr.,    notice   of    Davis    in 

"  Biogra-ph'ica  Brilannica  "  268 
Kinhm,  Portuguese  fort  at  .  .  264 
Kholmogro,  Borough  wintered  at  .    17 


Knivet,  one  of  the  crew  of  Caven- 

disli's  ship     ....  119 

his  narrative  in  Purchas   123,  139, 

268 


Lal»-ador  discovered  by  Cabot 

Corteieal   ....        15 
voyage  of  Sebastian  Cabot     26 
shown  on  Mercator's  map 
coast  surveyed  by  Davie  .       49 
Gibbons  wintered  on  coast 
lAidrilleroa,  Juan  de,  expedition  to 

Magellan's  Strait  . 
Lamero,  Hernando,  pilot  in  the  Sur- 

miento  expedition 
Lancaster,  Sir  James 

his  voyage  drew  attention  to 
the  East         .... 

notice  of 

commanded  first  E.I.C.  voyage 
divided  stores  from  a  Portu- 
guese prize  .... 
intercourse  with  Caflrcs  at 
Table  Bay  .... 
established  a  market  at  Anton- 

gil 

interview  with    the    king  of 

Achen 

at  Bantam         .... 
sent  his  pinnace  to  Moluccas 
firmness  in  a  gaie  of  wind 
services  to  the  Company . 
patron    of    Hall's    Greenland 

voy.-ige 

Lancaster  Sound  in  BaflBn's  Bay 
Lane,  H.,  discourse  on  Nortli-East 

Pas -age  for  Mr.  Sandensou 
Lapland,  Willoughby  perished  on 

the  coast  of   . 
Latitude,  rules  given  by  Davis 

Baffin's  observations 
"Leuie"  and   "  Leeuwin,"  Dutch 
sliips  fur  the  India  voyage    . 

at  Achen 

attacked  by  the  Achenese 
return  to  Zceland     . 
bad  discipline  ,        .        .   186, 
Lefort,    Gnyon,    tieasurcr  of   the 
"  Lteuw "        .        .        .        . 
helped  Davis  to  defend  Iho  ship 
succeeded  Houtmun  in  com- 
mand      


15 
.  24 
,  27 

27 
, '0 
263 


105 
4 

178 
195 
197 


202 

205 
206 
207 
208 
-.10 

250 
259 


16 
161 
253 

184 
189 
191 
193 
212 

184 
191 


288 


INDEX. 


"  Leicester,"  ship  ef  Cavendisli  iu 

his  second  voyage  .  .  115 
at  Port  Desire  .  .  .  118,  119 
quarrel  of  Cavendish  with  the 

officers 119 

parted  company  with  Davis       124 
Leyva,  Don  Antonio  de,  with  land 

forces  in  the  Armada  .  73,  78 
on  board  tlie  "  Rata  "  .  .73 
attempt  to  rally  the  Spanish 

fleet 80 

Lief,  Eriksen,  voyage  from  Green- 

hmd  to  America    .        .        .68 

Lima  founded 98 

Lindenoia,  Admiral,  Danish  voyage 

to  Greenland .  .  .  .249 
Lime  juice  as  a  remedy  for  scurvy  .  2jl 
Linschoten,  his  translation  of  the 

voyage  of  Gali  (de  Guallo)  .  104 
notice  of   .        .        .        .   18l,l«2 

death 1S3 

"  ZioH,"  Queen's  ship     .        .        .74 
Lord  Thomas  Howard  in  com- 
mand     .        .        .        .       75,  79 
Sir  R.  Southwell  in  command 
at  Cadiz  .        .        .        .177 

"  Lion"  (see  "  Leeuw  "). 
Lister,  Captain  Cliristopher,  with 

the  Earl  of  Cumberland       .     82 
sent  to  cut  out  prizes  at  Fayal     85 
attack  on  St.  Mary's         .        .     89 
shipwrecked  on  Cornwall  coast    90 
sent  to  the   South   Sea,   cap- 
tured Lnpez  Vaz  .        .        .  109 
Lizard,  Spanish  fleet  siglited  off     .     77 
Loayitty  Garcia  Jofre  de,  in  com- 
mand   of     second    Spanish 
voyage  to  Magellan's  Strait       9fi 

death 97 

Locke,   cousin  of  Cavendish  with 

liim  on  liis  second  voyage  .  116 
Log-booh,  introduced  by  Sebastian 

Cabot 16 

kept  by  Davis ;  third  Arctic 

voyage    ....     63,  268 

form  of  tlielogof  the  "Desire"  163 

Baffin's  kig  in  Hudson's  Strait  '.i65 

Log,  heaving  tlie      ....  153 

Logarithms,   discovery  by  Napier 

and  Brigga  .  .  .  .164 
Lot.;    Michael,    promoter    of    Fro- 

bisher's  voyages    .         21>  22,25 


Lol;  Michael,  charter  granted  to   .    22 
"  LuihIoii,"    E.  I.e.    ship,    Captain 

Shilling 264 

Baffin  in  command  .        .        .  264 
Londoii's  Hope,  name  given  to  Sur, 

on  coast  of  Oman  .         .         .  264 
London  merchants,  interview  witli 

Davis  at  Mortlake  .        .     29 

London  Coast,  in  Greenland,  named 

by  Davis         .         .         .57,  257 
Longitude,    projiosed    methods    of 

finding 145 

by  lunar  observation  105,  152,  237, 
2K1 
by  moon's  culmination    .        .  201 
Ludlow,  Arnold,  witli  Hudson  in 

the  last  voyage      .         .         .  229 
Lumley,  Lord,  friend  of  Davis         .     34 
Lamley  Inlet,  named  by  Davis        .     59 
proved  to  be  the  "  Meta  Incog- 
nita" oi  Ft  ohisher        .        .    67 
Lunar  observation  for  finding  longi- 
tude, observed  by  Sarmiento  .  152 
observed  by  Baffin   .        .    137,  201 
Lynn,  Nicholas  of,  traditions  of  his 

Polar  voyages        .        .        .15 

Madagascar     (see     Antovfiil,     St 
Augustine  Bay,  St.  Mary's). 
Magellan,  Fernando,  expedition    .    93 
discovered  Straits     .        .        .94 
entered  the  South  Sea  ;  death     P5 
narrative  by  Pigafetta      .        .  100 
Magellan,  Stiait  of,  plan  of  Davis 

to  discover  N.W.P.  by  .  .  92 
discovery  by  Magellan  .  .  94 
voyage  of  Loaysa  .  .  .96 
third  Spanish  expedition  to  95,  96 
expeditions  from  the  western 

side  .  .  .  .  97, 98 
Drake's  expedition  .  .  .  101 
Winter  in  tlie  Strait  .  .  102 
expedition  of  Sanniento  104, 105, 
106 
colony  of  Sarmiento  aban- 
doned ....  107,  108 
Cavendish  in  .  .  .  .110 
voyage  of  Merrick  and  Chud- 

ieigh 112 

scenery  .and  vegetation    .   121,  122 

Davis  in 123 

surveys  by  Davis      .        .        .  133 


INDEX. 


289 


PAGE 

Magellan,  Strait  of,  narrative  of 

voyage  of  Davis  to,  by  J.mes  130 
Magnetic  observations  taken  by  Davis  59 
works  by  lior  ugh  aud  Nor- 
man       .         .         .         .50,  153 

by  Baffin 261 

(See    Variation  Dip.) 
Magnetic  Pole,  suggested  by  Cortes  151 
Magotlis,  Wm.,  of  Bristol,  histurian 

of  Merrick's  voyage      .        ,  112 

Maldive  Isles 188 

"  Malice  Scourge,"  shipho'ightfrova 
the  Earl  of  Cumberland  by 
the  E.I.C.,  name  changed    .  197 
Mandana,   Alvaro  de,    service   of 

Sarniiento  with     .        .        .  105 
Manhattan    Isle,     discovered    by 

Hudson 22S 

Mansell  Island  in  Hudson's  Bay, 

named  by  Button  .        .  2"4 

sighted  by  Fox         .        .        .241 
Maps  of  Sebastian  Cabot  at  White- 
hall        .        .        .        .       15,  26 
of  the  Zeni         .        .         18,  19,  20 
M  creator's  .         ...     27 

new  map  of  1599        .        .        .168 
(See  Charts.) 
*'  Margaret,"  ves-el  in  the  Earl  of 
Cumberland's      voyage      to 

Azores 82 

sent  home  .        .        .        .89 

"Maria,"  ship  of  Sarniiento,   in 

Magellan's  Stiait  .        .        .107 
"Maria"     of     Bristol,     Captain 

James's  ship  ....  238 
fallen  in  with  by  Fox      .        .  242 

on  a  rock 244 

in  winter  qtiartera    .        .   244.  245 
" Marigold,"  8.hii>  in  expediiion  of 

Di-ake 101 

loss  of 102 

"  Mariners'  Mirror,"  by  Wagenaar  183 
Markeabury,  Captsiin  (see  Burke  of 

Lime)       .        .        .        .       82,  83 
Markham,  Commodore,  edition  of 

the  works  of  Davis        .        .  207 
Marklaml  of  tlie  Norsemen,  identi- 
fied with  Nova  Scotia    .         .     C8 
Myotta  Island,  Dutch  obtain  s\ip- 

plies  at 188 

MazareUo  B.ty,  in  Maijeilan's  Strait, 

same  aa  Tobiu.-<  Bay       .        .121 


PAOE 

"3/ay  ifoie,"  Queen's  ship      .        .    74 
Captain  Feiitou  .         .         .75 

following  the  Spanish  fleet     .     78 

in  action 79 

ship  of  Sir  Francis  Vere  at  the 

Azores 177 

Medina,  Pedro  de,  Spanish  work 
on     navigation,     translated 
into  Dutch     .        .        .        .151 
copy  found  at  Barents'  winter 

quarters  ....  151 

English  translation  .        .        .  152 
Medina  Sidonia,  Duke  of,  Admiral 
of  the  Spanish  Armada,  his 

orders 73 

ordered  the  fleet  to  rendezvous 

at  Graveliues         .        .        .80 
resolved  to  retreat  north wa  ds    bO 
"Meg,"  vessel  in  the  Earl  of  Cum. 

berland's  expedition     .        .    82 

Melville  Bay 25S 

Mendocino  Cape,  coast  to  north  of, 

discovered  by  Drake     .        .  103 
Mendoza.  Garcia  Hurtado  de,  Cap- 
tain-General of  Chile,  sent 
an  expedition  to  Magellan's 

Sti-ait 99 

Mercator,    Gerard,    map    of    the 

world  .  .  .  .  27,  39 
circumstances  of  his  birth  .  146 
edvication;i)uV>licationof  tilobe  147 
invention  of  the  projection  .  148  , 
projection  utilised  by  Wright  155, 
163,  168 
Merchant    Adrenturert,    Sebastian 

C.ibot,  governor  of  company     16 
sent  ships  against  the  Spaui&h 

Armada 76 

(See  Muscovy  Company.) 
"  Mere-Honour"  ship  of  Lord  T. 

Howard  :>t  Cadiz  .        .        .  177 
Meridional  Parts,\a.h\<i!iCons\x\xc\.eA 

by  Wright      ...     88,  150 
used  by  Houdius  ;  published 
by  Blundevillo      .        .        .  155 
"  Mennaid,"     vessel     in     Davis's 

second  Arctic  voyage    .      44,  45 
sent  home         .        .        .        .48 
Men-ick,  Andrew,  in  Chudleigh's 

voyage 112 

Mesia,  Don  Auffustln,  in  command 

of  the  "iSaii  ^ui«"        .        ,     72 


290 


INDEX. 


PAO.K 

"Ifeta  Tncognita,"  name  given  by 

the  Q.ieen      .         .  2-2,  23,  Ca 

"  Micloiel,"    ship    in    Frobisi.er'a 

vdyajjo    .        .        .        .       22,  23 
Miclietborne.     Sir    Kdward,    com- 
iii.-mded  tlie  "Moon"  in  the 
"  Inland  Voyage"  .         .         .  177 
notice  of;  voya<re  to  India       .  214 
Lull  led  on  Coney  Island  .        .215 
off  Suiuatra       ....  210 
went  to  Bantam       .        .        .  217 
intercourse      with      Japanese 

pirates    ....   218,  219 
suppressed       tho       Japanese 

mutiny 221 

return  liomo      ....  221 
iiariative  of  the  voyage  .        .  26S 
Micmacs  (see  Neicfoundlaiul). 
Middelburg,  capital  of  ZeiUun.i  179,  180 
expedition  to  East  Iudie.s  fitted 

out  at 184 

return  of  Dutch  ships  to.        .  193 

Middle  Pack;  Davis  in     .         .         .     dO 

attempted  by  Baffin  .        .  258 

taken  by  Parry  aini  Nares       .  258 

M'iddUtoth,  Captain,  cruising  with 

Captain  Davis  .  .  .91 
in  the  "  Island  Voyage  "  .  177 
second  in  command  in  the 

first  E.I.C.  vo>age  .  .197 
sent  to  the  King  of  Achen    .  215 

death 20U 

Henri/,  of  the  "Susan,"  E.I.C. 

voyage        ....  205 
sent  to  Priaman  for  pepper .  205 
commanded    second    E.  I.C. 
voyage        ....  209 
Milburne,  seducer  of  the  wife  of 

Davis 138 

probably  hanged  for  coining  .  139 
Mil/ord  Haven, "  Tiger  " ancliored at  221 

Minab 264 

Misericordia  of    Sarmieiito    iden- 
tified with  the  Bay  of  God's 
Mercy  of  Davis      .        .        .129 
Mocha,  Baffin  at      .        .        .        .262 
Moluccas,    treaty    between    Spain 

and  Portugal  as  to         .        .    97 
Captain    Lancaster    sent    his 
pinnace  to      ...        .  207 

Molyneux 64 

his  globe    .        .        .        .61,  167 


PAGE 

Monfada,  Hugo  de,  in  charge  of 

Spanisli  galleasses         .         .     73 
his  ship  lost  off  Calais      .         .     8j 
Monson,   Sir  William,   serving  on 

board  the  "  C/tuWc'j! "     .  76 

captain  of  the  "  Meg  "  with  tho 

Earl  of  Cumberland  .  .  82 
sent  to  cut  out  prize-;  at  Fayal  85 
his  lemark  on  the  services  of 

Davis 169 

on    board    tho    " Re j mine"  at 

Cadiz 177 

" liainbmv"    in    the    "Island 

Voyage  "         ....  177 
conversations  with  Davis    178,  268 
"  Moon,"  sliip  in  Frobishei-'s  third 

voyage 23 

"  Monn,"  Sir  E.  Michelborne's  ship 

in  the  "  Island  Voyage"        .   177 
"  Moom/iiiie,"  ship   in   Arctic  ex- 
peditions of  Davis         .       33,  42 
sailed  up  CumljerLind  Gulf     .    42 
second  voyage  continued  in    .     43 
re|>aired  at  Sukkertoppen      47,  49 
Morgan,    Henry,    purser    of    the 

"  Sunxhine"   .         .         .        .44 

wrote  tlie  narrative.        .     63,  268 

Mortlake.  philosopher  of         .        .12 

(See  Di:  Dee.) 

house  of  Dr.  Dee       .        .        .13 

attack  on 31 

interview  of  Davis  with  mer- 
chants at        .        .        .     29,  226 
Moseley.  Mr.,  on  the  vegetation  of 

Fernando  Noronha        .         .  215 
Moter,  Andrew,  mutineer  against 

Hudson  ....   230,  232 
MoncJieroti,  Balthazar  de,  mei-chant 

iuZeeland.         .         .    ISH,  ISl 
sent  vessels  to  tlie   Nonh- 

East  Passsige      .        .         .  182 

fitted  out  a  fleet  for  India    .  183 

employed  Davis    .        .        .  185 

Melchiorde,  founded  Aixjliantrel  181 

Mounljoy.    Lord,   in    the   "Island 

Voyage"         .        .        .        .177 
Munstir,  Sebastian,  on  insularity 

of  America    .        .        .        .25 

Museovi/  Company    .        .         .         7,  16 

Su- J.  Smiih  a  member  of        .  196 

Hudson  employed  by      .    227,  228 

Baffin  in  the  service  of    .        .  232 


INDEX. 


291 


PAGE 

Muscovy  Company,  VTh.-iling  voyages 

iu  the  Spit?; bet tfen  seas        .  252 

Mutiny/ on  hoard  tho  "  Uexb-e"       .  125 

against  Henry  Iludsou    .        .  231 

Kajera,  Jorge  Mauriqiie  de,  in  the 

fleet  of  Loaysa       .        .        .96 
Napier,  Lord,  discoverer  of  loga- 
rithms     104 

Kaiborough,  Sir  John,  description 

of  the  NaiTows      .        .        .  li'l 
Nares,  Sir  George,  took  the  Middle 

Pack 258 

Nari'ornt  (see  Angoiturat). 
Navigation,  art  of    .         .         .         .  140 
Greek  astronomers  .        .   141,  142 

Beliaim 143 

longitude 145 

compass 145 

Mercator's  projection       146  to  149 

Nonius 15) 

Spanish  writers  on  .        .    150,  151 

Hues 156 

commendation  of  the  science 

by  Davis  .  .  .  15S,  159 
three  kinds  of  .  .  .  .  160 
Dr.  Hood  engaged  to  lecture 

on 197 

(See  Bouriie.  Seainan't  Seereti, 
Lonijitude,     Latitude,     Lu- 
■nars.) 
Neck,  Jacob  (see  Walker). 
Neyapatani,  ship  of.        .        .        .  192 
Neslon,   Port,  winter  quarters  of 

Button 235 

Newfoundland,   expedition  of   Fir 

Humplirey  G  Ibeit  .  .  10 
discovered  by  John  Cabot  .  15 
encounter  of  Davjs's  men  with 

Micniacs         .        .        .        .     50 
ice  carried  down  to  .        .        .  170 
(See  Cortereal,  Cartier,  Eitoli- 
land,  Helluland.) 
Nicobar  Mes     ....   192,  203 
curious  worm  growing  in  sands  204 
Nombre   de    Jesus,    settlement    in 

Magellan's  Strait  .         .    107,  111 
Nonius  (or  Nunez),  Pcdio,    Portu- 
guese mathematicitin,  notice 

of 150 

•'^07ipo9-eJ/,"  Queen's  sliii)     .        .     75 
Captain  Fennur        .        .        .76 


68 


252 


170 
16 
17 
32 

1S2 


43 


PAOE 

" Nonpareil,"  in  Action    .        .        .79 
Nordenskiiild,  Baron,  on  the  globe 

of  Behaim  .  .  .  144,  note 
Nonnan,  Robert,  discovery  of  dip 

of  the  needle.  .  .  59.  153 
Norri.1,  Sir  John  ....  4 
Norsenwa,  Sagas  of,  brought  to  light 

by  Professor  Ibifii  .        14.  68 

ptissililo  grave  of      .        .       40,  68 
St  ry  of  settlements  in  Greeti- 

land 

introduced  angelicaintoGrcen 
land        .... 
(See  Erik,  Lief.) 
North    Cape,    passable    Palling    to 

Nov:iya  Zeralya  from    . 
North-East  Passage  .... 
.idvocated  by  Jenkin.ton  . 
discourse  of  Henry  Lane  on    . 
Dutch  voyages .... 
(See      Borough,      Jackman, 
Barents.) 
"North  Star,"  pinnace  in  Davis's 
second  Arctic  voyage    . 
lo-t  with  all  hands  .        .       51,  52 
North-  West  Passage,  discourse  of  Sir 

H.  Gilbert  .  .  9,  10,  25  to  27 
Conference  with  Secretary  Wal- 

singham  .  .  .  14  to  29 
Probisher's  voyages  .  .  21  to  24 
arrival  of  Indians  in  Germany 

by 27 

first  voyage  of  Davis  .  34  to  42 
second  voyage  of  Davis  .  43  to  52 
two  routes  indicated  by  Davis  69 
third  voyage  of  Dtivis  .  53  to  71 
plan  of  a  route  by  the  Pacific  92, 
114,  115 
arguments  in  "  World's  Hydro- 
graphical  Discovery  "  .  .  109 
statement  of  objections  .  .  17J 
objections  rcTuted  .  171  to  175 
Hudson  sent  to  discover .  .  229 
company  for;  Baffin  despatched  255 
achcmu  of  Btiffin  for  a  Pacitic 

route 262 

(See  Arctic  Erpeditions.) 
Norumbega,  memoir  on,  by  Dr.  Dee     13 
Nottingham    Iiiland,   in    Hudson's 

Bay 238 

si,'iited  by  Fox  .         .         .241 

Button's  report  on  tides  off     .  243 


292 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Noursoak,  in  the  W,ii>jrat,  Baffin  at  267 
iVoraya     Zemli/a,     discovered     by 

Willoiijflil.y    ....     10 
strait  between,  and  tlie  main- 
land         16 

passable   sailings  from  North 

Cape  to 170 

Hudson's  voyage  to  .         .         .  228 
(bee  Harents.) 
Nunez  (sue  Nonius). 

Ob,  river 17 

Oquendo,    Miguel    de,    Guipuzcoa 

squadron  in  the  Armada  .  72 
his  ship  on  fire  ;  towed  into 

Weymouth  .  .  .  .78 
engaged  the  English  Admiral  7y 
attempt  to  rally  the  Spanish 

fleet 80 

Ordnance,  English  fleet  .         .         .74 
E.I.C.  ships       .        .        .        .198 
Onuuz,  Persians  and  English  agree 

to  expel  Portuguese     .        .  264 

fall  of 265 

Ortelius,     on    the    insularity     of 

America  .        .        .        .25 

publication  of  his  atlas    .        .     28 

Other,  northern  voyage  of       .        .26 

Pacific  Ocean,  plan  of  Davis  to  make 

the  N.W.P.  by       .        .        .92 

entered  by  Magellan         .        .     95 

Loaysa  and  Cauo  buried  in      .     97 

plan    of    Bafiin    to    make    to 

N.W.P.  by     .        .        .        .262 

Pahang,  junk  bound  for,  captured 

by  Michelborne     .        .        .218 

Pahua 185 

Paradoxal  Sailing    ....  100 
sclieme  fur  a  chart    .         .         .  163 
Parker,  Charles,  mutineer  on  board 

the  "Desire"  .         .   125,  134 

death 135 

Parma,  Duke  of,  carrying  all  be- 
fore him         .        .        .        .64 
at   Dunkirk   waiting    for  the 

Spanish  fleet.        .        .        .73 
watched  by   Seymour's  squa- 
dron        76 

Parry,  Sir  Edward,  named  places 

after  Bylot  and  Baffin  .  .  237 
named  Fox's  Channel      .        ,  £43 


PAGE 

Parry,  Sir  Edward,  testified  to  the 

merits  c.f  liatlin     .         .         .256 
took  the  Middle  Pack      .         .  2i8 
Patagonia,   M:igellan  at   Port   St. 

Julian  on  coast  of.         .         .     94 

Drake  at  Port  St.  Julian  .        .101 

Cavendish  at  P<irt  Desire         .  110 

natives  at  Port  Desire      .        .  135 

(See  Desire,  Port) 

Patani,  Sir  Edward  Michelborne 

sailed  for        ...        .  217 
junk  of,  seized  by  Japanese 

pirates 218 

"  Patience,"  one  of  Hall's  ships  in 

tlio  Greenland  voyage  .        .  250 
Baffin  pilot  of   .         .         .         .250 
return  to  Hull ....  251 
Pearson,  carpenter  in  Davis's  third 

Arctic  voyage  .        .        .55,  56 
Pedir,  Dutch  ships  anchored  off    .  192 

Pegu 189 

"Pelican,"   Drake's    ship;    name 

changed  to  "  Golden  Hind  " .  101 
Peiiajlel,  Marques  de,  conananding 

the  "  San  Marcos  "        .        .     73 
engagedby theEnglishadmiral    78 

Penguins 134 

served  out  to  tlie  men  .  .  135 
turned  bad  .  .  .  .137 
Penguin  Island  .  .  .  110,  120 
seals  collected  on  .  .  .126 
birds  collected  at  .  .  .  134 
Pepper  marts  in  Sumati-a  .  205,  206 
full  cargoes  of,  at  Bant.im  .  207 
sailing  directions   for  pepper 

poi-ts 217 

(See  Achen,  Priaman,  Tiku.) 
Pereyra,  Don  Antonio,  in  command 

of  the  "  San(iajro  "         .        .     73 
Pemambuco,  attack  on,  by  Lancas- 
ter   196 

Persia,  Shah  of,  ag^reement  with, 

about  Ornmz         .        .        .  264 
Persian  Gulf,  Baffin's  surveys  of  202, 
263,  264 
Peru  conquered  by  Piziirro  (.see  I'o- 

ledo) 98 

Pery,  John,  master  of  the  "  Desire" 

under  Davis  .        .         .   116,  118 
sij-iied  tlie  document  at  Port 

De.->ire 126 

his  advice 128 


INDEX. 


293 


PAGE 

Pet,  Arthur,  voyage  of    .         .        .17 

Philip  II.,  war  with  England  ,     64 

resolution  to  invade  Engl.ind      72 

}iis  piei>aiations        .         .         .     ~i 

resolved  to  colonise  Mag-jUan's 

Straiia 1-6 

Philippines  fall  to  Spain  in  the  par- 
tition with  Portugal     .         .9' 
last  service  of  Sarniiento  at    .  lOS 
distance  from  California  .         .   171 
(See  Gain.) 
Pkilpot  Lane,  Sir  J.  Smith's  house  at  106 
Pico,  one  of  the  Azores  .         .       84,  85 
Pierce,  Michael,  mutitieer  against 

Hudson  .  .  .  220,  230,  2.'?2 
Piga/etta,   Antonio,    narrative    of 

Magellan's  voyage  .  100,  111 
Pillar,  Cape  ....  129,  131 
Pilot,  rules  for  guidance  of  .  .  161 
Piiuentel,  Diego  de,  in  command  of 

the  "  San  Mateo"  .        .     7J 

Pirates  (see  Japmiese). 
Pizarro,  conqueror  of  Peru     .         .     OS 
Placencia,  in  Brazil  .         .         .117 

Davis  at 136 

attack  on  his  peojJe         .        .  137 
PlancuKS,  map  of     .        .        .    175,  182 
Plato  (see  Atalantla). 
P/iny  quoting  Cornelius  Nepos  as 
to  Indians  arriving  in  Ger- 
many      27 

Cape  Tal'in  of  .        .        .         .171 
Plijmoiitli,  Hawkins'  natives  of      .      4 
sent  ships  against  the  Sjianish 

Armada  .        .        .        .77 

En^rlish   fleet    in    the    Sound 

when  Arm.ad.a  was  sighted  .  77 
Karl  of  Cumberland  sailed  from  8'2 
Dr  ike's  iXi>eoitinn  sailed  from  101 
Cavendish  sailed  from  .  .  110 
Chudkigh  saiied  from  .  .  112 
second  expedii  ion  of  Cavendisli 

sailed  from    ....  117 
nylot  and  Baffin  returned  to  .  238 
Pomeroys,  lords  of  the   manor  of 

Stoke  Gabriel         ...       5 
manor  house  of         .        .         5,  11 
Pomponiv.f  Mela,  his  authority  on 

insularity  of  continents        .  170 
map  of  14  j7  in  a  codex  of   144,  note 
Pope,  Kichard,  master's  mate  with 

Davis 35 


PAfJE 

Pope,    Rich.ird,    capt.ain    of    the 

"  Sunshine "  .        .        .        .44 
detai'licd  by  Davis  on  special 

service 44 

procefdings after  leaving  Davis    51 

work  of 65 

Porjioisrs  seen  and  harpooned  on 

board  the  "iS«ji*Ain«"  .        .     38 

Porto  Santo 185 

Pnrt.imouth,  .arrival  of  the  "  Tiga-"  at  221 
Poituf/atse,  Ijinoaster  in  Portugal    195 
prize  captured  by  E.I.C.  fleet.  200 
efforts  to  undermine  the  Dutch 

at  Aden  .        .        .        .189 

intrigues  against  the  E.I.C.    .  205 

action  with  floet  of,  off  Jaslik    C63 

expelled  from  Urnuiz       .         .  264 

Preston,   Captain   Amyas,   in    the 

Azores 89 

at  Cadiz 177 

"  Isl.and  Voyage  "    .        .        .  177 
Pretty,   Francis,   historian  of  the 

voyage  of  Cavendish     .        .  109 
Priaman,  pepper  mart  in  Sumatra  206 
the  "  Sitsdd  "  sent  to        .        .  205 
"  Hed  Dragon"  and  "Hector" 

proceed  to      ...        .  206 
"  Tiger "  at        .         .         .         .  216 
sailing  directions  for       .    217,  268 
Pricielt,  Uabakkuk,  servant  of  Sir 

Dudley  Digges       .        .        .  229 
with  Hudson  in  Ids  list  voysgi;  229 
down  with    sciuvy ;    a    time- 
server     ?30 

spared  by  the  mutineers  .  231 

liis  narrative  of  the  ujutiny  231,  233 
sailed  with  Button  .  .  2.(4 

Prince,  "  Wortliies  of  Devon  ;"  er. 

rors  in  the  life  of  Davis  .  268 
Pring,   Captain    Martin,    seventh 

E.I.i;.  voyage  .  .  .262 
Projection,  Mercator's      .         .    14S,  140 

Ptolemy 1-!1 

text-book  of  the  Middle  Ages    142 

translation         .         .         .         .143 

Pulo  Lntuni,  Dutch  ships  at   .         .   102 

Pido  Mai-)-a,  "  Tiger  "off        .         .  217 

Pulo     Timnan,    D.tvis     shaped     a 

cour.se  for  .  .  .  .218 
Parbach,  translation  of  Ptolemy  .  143 
Pvrelian,    "  Pilgritnes,"    letter    of 

Cavendish;  Knivefs  story  .  139 


294 


INDEX. 


rA(ii; 
Purcha%  notice  of  Baffin         .        .  2-iy 
Fotbeiby's journal   .        .        .  ihb 
papers  and  maps  of  Baffin  in 

hands  of         ....  256 
his  account  of  Baffin's  death  .  2d5 

Quadrant,  Davis's    .         .         .   165,  166 

Hadlcy's 166 

Baffin's 253 

Qucdah 192 

Quintcro  Bay,  Cavendish  at   .        .  Ill 

Jiatlforth,  Mr.,   in  Chelsea;   Davis 

lodged  at  his  house       .         .     30 
"Rainbow,"    Queen's     ship,    Lord 

Henry  Seymour    .         .         .75 

stationed  off  Calais  .        .        .76 

Sir    Francis   Vere's    ship     at 
Cadiz 177 

Sir  W.  Monson  in  the  Azores  .  177 
Raleigh,  Careve  ....  7 
Raleigh,  Sir  Walter .        .        .  4,  7,  184 

excursions  with  Davis  to  Dart- 
mouth   .        .        .        .         7,  S3 

education  ;  early  career  ;  ser- 
vices        11 

aid  to  the  projects  of  Davis     .     12 
81,  33 

introduced  Davis  to  Mr.  San- 
derson     31 

volunteer  squadron  against  tlie 
AriUMda  .....     76 

owned  a  sliip  in   tl  e  Azores 
expetiition     .        .        .        .82 

acted  for  Davis  in  a  lawsuit    .     91 

knowledge  respecting  Magellan 
Strait 92 

entertained  Sartniento  at  his 
house 108 

■Virginia  planted  by.        .     32,109 

encouraged  the  Pacific  scheme 
of  Davis 114 

his  warning  to  Davis        .        .  138 

friend  of  Hues  and  Heriot       .  156 

Rear-Admiral    at    Cadiz    and 
Azores 177 

Lis   narrative    of    Grenville's 
action 181 

persecution       .        .        .    211,  222 

unfaltering  friendship  for  Davis  224 
Raleigh,  Mount,  named  by  Davis  41,  60 
Ranie  Head,  Spanish  fleet  off  .        .78 


PAGE 

Randolph,     Artliui',     marriea     at 

Flushing        ....   184 
"  Rata,"  Spanish  ship  under  An- 
tonio de  Leyva      .        .        .73 
attacked  by  Knglisli  .ships       .     78 
Raymond.  Captain,  with  Lancaster  196 
Recalde,  Juan    Martinez    de,   Bis- 

cayan  squadron  .  .  .72 
rallied     in     stipport     of     tlie 

"Rata" 78 

attenipt  to  rally  the  Spanish 

fleet 80 

Red    Sea,    Captain    Shilling    and 

Baffin  in         ....  262 
"Red   Dragon,"   Lancaster's  ship, 

E.[.C.  fleet  .  .  .  .197 
John  Davis,  pilot  .  .  .  190 
captured  a  Portuguese  prize  .  200 
scurvy  in  Table  Bay  .         .  501 

losses  by  death ....  203 
at  Aclien;  proceeded  to  Pria- 

nian 206 

at  Bantam  ;  gale  of  wind  ;  lost 

lier  rudder     ....  207 
in  danger ;  at  St.  Helena         .  20S 
return  home      ....  209 
Rtfraction  of  the  sun,  observation 

by  Baffin        .        .        .        .258 
"  Regiment  of  the  Sea  "  (see  Bo%irne, 

Jlood). 
Regiomontanu.%,  translation  of  Pto- 
lemy; almanac      .        .    143,144 
" Ri'puUe,"  ship    of    the    Earl    of 

Essex  at  C.diz      .        .        .  177 
Davis  piob.ably  pilot  of    .        .  178 
" Reiolntion,"  ship  in  Button's  ex- 
pedition        ....  235 
Resolution  Island,  Baffin  anchored 

at 236 

sii^htt'd  by  Fox         .        .        .  244 

"  iJircnoc,"  Queen's  ship  .         .     74 

Sir  F'rancis  Diake     .        .        .75 

Rhumb  lines,  invented  by  Nonius  .   150 

(^^'eo  Heriot.) 
Ribera,  Diego  de,  succeeded  Flores 
de  Valdez,  and  sent  to  co- 
operate with   Sarmi«nto  in 
Magellan's  Strait   .        .        .1^7 
Rink,  Dr.,  on  trees  in  Greenland   .  2.'")2 

Rio  de  Jamiro 107 

"  Riola,"  storosliip  of  Sarmiento, 

lost         .....  107 


IKDEX. 


295 


PAGE 

Roe,  Sir  Thomas,  patron  of  Fox's 

voyage 2:i9 

Rof's  HWconif,  so  named  by  Fox    .  •HI 
"  Koehucl-,"  \n  Cavendish's  secon.l 

voy.ige    ....   115,  11" 

at  Port  Desire  .        .         .        .118 

p.irted  company  with  l)avis    .  124 

" Rnebueic," 'E.l.Q.  s\i\\>    .         .         .263 

Roldan,    Cam-puna    (U,    mountain 

named  by  M.igelhin       .        .     J>4 
same  .08  Mount  Sarii lie) ito       .  122 
ifom)Her«f  io)-(Z(Hol8teinborg),Uair8 

8l)ij)s  in  .        .        .        .        .  251 

Rnqnerez  hie 203 

Rudder  oi  "  Ark  Royal"  \u\s\ny^:d    79 

of  " /?«d  Di-agoH  "  lost      .        .207 

new  rudder  hung     .         .        .  288 

Ritpelmonde,  bi rtl i pi. ice  of  Mercator  146 

"  RutUrs  "  of  the  sea       .        .        .  152 

Sagas  of  the  Nor-emen  unknown 

to  Eliz.abetli's  seamen  .        .     14 
(See  Rafif.) 
*'  Sailing  Directions  "  of  Davis,  for 

Sumatra         .        .    217,  225,  268 
"Sailor's  Pocket-Book"  of  Captain 

Bedford  referred  to       .        .  162 
St.  AugiLstine  Bay,  in  JIadagasi'ar; 

Dutch  at         .        .        .        .  1S8 
St.  George,  one  of  the  Azores  .        .     84 
■water  obtained  at     .        .        .89 
St.  Helena  Island,   fight  between 

Dutch  and  Spanish  ships     .  193 
E.I.C.  fleet  at    .        .        .        .28 
•'Tiger"  at        .        .        .        .221 
St.  Jvdian  Port,  in  Patagonia,  Ma- 
gellan at         ....     94 
Drakeat ;  execution  of  Doughty  101 
St,  Michael,  Isle  of,  Azores,  prizes 

captured        .        .        .        .83 

St.  Mary,  Azores     .        .        .        .84 

attempt  to  get  water  at    .        .     89 

sightedby  E.I.C.  fleet     .        .209 

St.  Mary  Island,  Madagascar,  E.I.C. 

fleet  at 202 

St.  Nicholas,  White  Sea,  voyages 

to 17 

St.  mchola!>,  one  of  the  Cape  Verds, 

Dutch  ships  at  ...  185 

St.  Petrox  Church,  Dartmouth        7,  33 
St,  Ursula's  day,  MMgellan  named 

Cap«  Virgins  on,    .         .        .     P4 


PAOE 

Saldanha  Bay,  Dutch  ship  in         .  186 
"  Tiger "  off       .         .         .         .  215 
(See  Table  Bay.) 

Salisbury  Island      .         .         .    237,  238 
sighted  by  Fox  .        .        .  241 

Salt,  manufactured  by  Davis  .  136 

Santa  Agueda,  Morro  de,  re-named 

Cape  Fro  ward        .        .        .122 

San      Agustin,      Cape,     Brazilian 

coast       .        .  .    186,  201 

San  Antonio,  in  Kagellan's  Strait, 

Davis  at.        .       ■.        .        .  122 

"Santa  Catalina,"  Spanish  ship  run 

into  by  V.ildez        .         .         .78 

Santa  Cruz,  river      .        .         .    04  to  97 

SI.  lilmo  liglits         .        .        .   216,  255 

"  Santo  Espiritu."  fleet  of  Loaysa 

commanded  by  Cano    .        .     96 
lost 97 

"  San  Felipe,"  Spanish  ship  ;  Don 

Francisco  de  Toledo      .        .     73 
loss  of f  0 

San  Felipe,  settlement  in  Magel- 
lan's Strait     .        .        .    108,  lU 

"  San  Irancifco,"  ship  in  the  ex- 
pedition of  Sariniento  .         .  105 

"  San  Gabriel,"  ship  in  the  fleet  of 

Lo.ay.sa 96 

"  Santiago,"  Spanish  ship,  Don  An- 

tonia  Pereyna         .        .        .     73 

"  Santiago,"    ship    in    Magellan's 

fleet P3 

lost  on  coast  of  Patagonia        .    94 

"  San  Juan  de  Sicil:a,"  Italian 
ship  commanded  by  Diego 
Enriquez         .        .        .        .73 

"  'an  lArmes,"  ship  in  the  fleet  of 

Loaysa 96 

"San  Lorenzo,"  Spanish  ship,  Don 
Hu'jo  MonQada,  lost  off  Calais    80 

"  San  Luis,"  Spanish  ship,  Augus- 

tin  Mesia        .        .        .        .     7J 

"  San   Luis,"    ship  in    expedition 

of  Ladrilleros         ...     99 

"  San  Marcos,"  Spanish  ship.  Mar- 
ques de  Peiiafiel    .        .        .73 
flagsliip  of  the   Admiral,   en- 
gaged L"rd  Howard's  ship  .     73 

Santa  Maria  Isle,  on  tiie  Clilian 
coast ;  advice  of  Mr.  Pery  that 
tl  e  " Desire'' bUoxM go  thero 
for  supplies    .        ,        .   1-9,  131 


296 


INDEX. 


PAOK 

"Santa  Maria  de  la  Victoria,"  ship 

in  the  fleet  of  Loaysii        .         .     9(3 
"  Santa  Maria  de  Parrel,"  ship  in 

the  fleet  of  Loiij'sa         .        .     9G 
"San  Sebastian,"  sliip  in  the  expe- 
dition of  L.idrilleros      .         .     99 
Sandeson,  Master  William,  pntron 

of  Davis  .         .         .31   32,  35 

promoted    the    Becoud  Arctic 

voyaL-e 43 

report  of  Davis  to,  on  his  re- 
turn       .        .        .        .52,  225 
encouraged  the    third  Arctic 

voyage 53 

supplied  funds  for  the  M'ily- 
neux  globe     ....  167 
Sanderso7i's    Hope,    discovery,    de- 
scription        .         .         58,  59,  66 
one  of  the  routes  of  Davis  for 
further  discovery      172,  226,  248 
260,  258,  205 
Sandridr/e,  home  of  Jolin  Davis       .     4 
description        .        .        .        .  5,  C 
neighbours         .         .         .      6,  8,  9 
Davis  at     .         .         .  11,  31,  65 

Adrian  Gilbert  at      .         .       11,  31 
wife  and  children  of  Davis  at 

home  at 35 

Davis  willing  to  forfeit  his  por- 
tion of,  raiher  than   fail   in 
his    efforts  to  disi-over  the 
theN.W.P.     ....     52 
Davis  at,  when  his  fourth  child 

was  born         .        .        .        .81 
Davis  there  with  his  wife,  for 

tlic  last  time  ....  116 

Davis  in  retirement  at     .   138,  140 

works  of  Davis  written  at  158,  224 

at  home  for  the  last  time         .  212 

Sandy  Hook,  rounded  by  Hudson  .  228 

Santander,   ships  of   the   Spanish 

fleet  built  at      .        .        .        .72 
Santos,  taken  by  the  fleet  of  Caven- 
dish        ....    117,  118 
Saris,  Captain,  established  an  Eng- 
lish factory  in  Japan    .        .  209 
Sarmiento,  Pedro  de  Gamhon,  pre- 
vious services         .        .        .  105 
his  survey  of  Magellan'.s  Strait  106 
colonised  I  he  Strait .        .        .  107 
taken  prisoner  by  Raleigh       .  108 
names  given  by         .         .        .   121 


PACK 

Sarmiento,  Pedro  de  Gamboa, 
doubted  the  variation  cf  the 
compass  ....  145 

ol  served  a  lunar       .        .        .  152 
Sarinicnto,  Mount,  so  ntimod    by 

FitzUoy  .        .        .        .122 

Sarnn's/i^o,  Abra  de,  Davis  at .        .  128 
"  Saucj/  Jack,"  joined  the  Earl  of 

Cumberland  at  the  Azori  s    .     83 
sent  to  cut  out  prizes  at  Fayal     85 
Savage  Isles  in  Hudson  Strait         .  336 
Sciirborough  (see  Huntriss). 
Sclwuten    and   Le    Maire,    first   to 

round  Cape  Horn  .        .        .  100 
Scill'j  Mis,  survey  by  Davis  .       37,  77 
sighted    during    third    Arctic 

voyage 55 

Scurvy,  dreadful  sufferings  of  crew 

of  "Desire"  ....  137 
otitbieak  in  tlic  E.I.C.  fleet  .  201 
among  Hudson's  crew  .  .  230 
in   Baffin's  ship  ;  death  of  the 

cook 200 

Seals,    many    se 'U    by   Davis,   off 

Greenland  .  .  .  .39 
at  Gilbert  Sound  .  .  .41 
flesh  of,  collected  at  Penguin 

Island 126 

"Seaman's    Secrets"   dedicated    to 

Lord  Howard        .        ,     81,  115 

publication        ....  1,58 

analysis      ...         158  to  163 

second  edition  .        .212,  223,  225 

Scbaldines,  a  name  of  tlie  F.iikland 

Islands 128 

Serrano,  Juan  Rodiigucz  dc,  cliief 

pilot,  with  Magellan       .        .    94 
Seven  Islands  north   of   Spitzber- 

geu,  sighted  by  DaEBn.        .  254 

Seville 195 

Seychelles 188 

Seyinotir,  Lord  Henry     ...      4 

captain  of  the  "Rainbow"       .     75 

sta'ioned  off  Calais   .  76,  77,  79 

ShacHieton,  Cape,  BaflSn  (fT     .         .  258 

Shah.  Abba.i  of  Persia,  expulsion  of 

Portuguese  from  Urimiz       .  '64 

Shakespeare 4 

Shi(rpl(am  Wood,  on  the  Dart         .      0 
Shcffi'ld,     Lord,     captain     of    the 

"  U'hite  Ben-"  .  .  .75 
in  action  ;  knighted  .     79 


INDEX. 


297 


PAGE 

SherJxyme 138 

Shillinff,   Captain,    Baffin  serving 

imder,  E.I.O.  voyage  .  .  2C2 
settled   Englibh  trade  in   the 

lied  Sea 262 

in  command  of  the  fleet  .        .  262 
figlil  witli  Portuguese  fleet     .  263 
death,  buried  at  Jashk    ,        .  264 
Simmes,    one    of    the    zuutinecrs 

against  Hudson    .        ,        .232 
Singapore,  the  '^ Tigeii-"  ancliorcd 

east  of 217 

Sleeve  (see  British  Channel)     .     77,  162 

Sluys,  fall  of 64 

Southern  Continent,  belief  in  .     99,  100 
exploded  by  Captain  Cook       .  100 
SouthiO€ll,  Sir  Robert,  captain  of 

the  "  Mizabeth /oiuxs"  .        .    75 

in  action 79 

at  Cadiz 177 

Smith,  Edward,  mutiucer  Gn  board 

the  " Desire" .        ,        .  123,134 

death 135 

Smiih,  Sir  Thomas,   Governor  ©f 

the  E. I.e.      .        .        .        ,194 

notice  of 196 

engaged  Dr.  Hood  to  lecture 

on  navigation  at  his  house  .  196 
founder  of  the  E. I.e.  .  .  197 
care  of  bealth  of  and  provisions 

for  the  ciiew  ....  198 
foresaw  the  future  greatness 

of  the  Company  .  .  .  209 
sent  Hudson  to  discover  the 

N.W.P 228,  233 

joined  in  sendin-g  Capt.  Hull 

to  Greenland.        ,        .        .  250 

patron  of  liMffiti's  voyage  .  256 

Smith  Sound,  in  Baffin's  Bay  .        .  259 

observation  for  variation  in     .  261 

Smylk,     Williiun,    master    of    the 

"  ffaftrieZ  "  witli  Frobislica-   .    22 

Solinus 170 

Souga,     Gasper     de,     leader    of 

Italians  in  the  Armada,         .     73 
SouUi  Sea  (see  Paciric). 
SjMiiisJi  fieei,  invasion  of  England 

contemplated  .  .  .64 
apostle  ships  b<iilt  at  Bilbao 

and  Santander       .        .       72,  73 
commanders  of  ships;  nj-nia- 
ment 73 


PAGE 

Spanish  fleet,  under  the  Duke  of 

Medina  Sidonia  .  .  .73 
I'ear  ships  cng.aged  .  .  .78 
engagement    off    the    Isle    of 

Wight     .        .         •        ,        .     79 

defeat  and  fiiglit       .        .        .80 

Spaniai-d.t  as  explorers   .        ,        ,99 

as  pilots 151 

Spenser     4 

Spitsbergen 16 

discoveries  of  Barents  .  .  183 
visited  by  Hudson  .  .  227,  228 
Baffin's  voyages  to  .  .  252,  254 
north     co.ifit     explored      by 

Baffin 254 

"  Squin-t'l,"     loss     of,     with     Sir 

Huinplirey  Gilbert        .        .     10 
ereat  of  the  Gilberts         .        .     10 
Sladius,    Ephemeris   of,   used   by 

Davis 161 

Stale  Paper  Office,  documents  re- 
lating to  Davis  at.        .        .  268 
Staten  Island,  discovery  ,        .     97 

Stocl-man,  Pieter,  Dutch  captain  of 

the  -"Xftttio".        .        .        .  184 
jimiped  overboard,  killed        .  191 
Slo/cc  Creek;  on  the  Dart ...       5 
Stoke  Gabriel,  parish  in  whichSand- 

ridge  is  situated    ...       5 

churdi 5 

Davis      entries      in      Parish 

Registejof  .  .  .  11,  267 
family  of  Churchwards  at  .  55 
eon    of  John  Davis  baptized 

at 65 

Davis  at,  when  his  fourth  child 
was  born        .        .        .        .80 

Straho 179 

Strong,  Captain, named  tliechannel 

betwten  the  Falkland  Isles.  126 
Sukkertojtpen  in  Greenland,  Davis 


at 


ainic  as  Cockayne  Sound 
SdiKaii'a  (see  Achen,  Batu,  Pedir, 

Priojnan,  Tiku). 
St'.nda,  Strait  of,   E.I.C.  fleet  be- 
calmed in       ...        . 
Pulo  Marra  in   . 
"Sunshine,"  ship  In  Davi.s's  Arctic 
expedition      .         .         .         . 
ari-aiigcmenta ;    internal    cio- 
uouiy 


48 
250 


298 


INDEX. 


PACK 

"  Suiishine,"  allowance  of  the  men 

increased        ...        39,  42 

sailing  wp  Cumberliind  Gulf    .     42 

detached  on  sep<ir!ite  service  44,  51 

Davis  s  third  Toyage  ;  sent  to 

the  fishery     .        .         54,  55,  e.? 

Sur,  on  the  coast  of  Oman,  IJafBn 

wintered  at    .        .        .        .  204 

SuiY'J,  E.I. C.  fleet  at       .        .        .262 

Captain  Shillii^g  at  .        .        .  263 

Englisli  fleet  assembled  at       .  264 

Surveifs  by  Davis,  Scilly  Isles       37,  77 

Aictic  Seas        ...       69,  71 

Labrador 70 

the  "Sleeve"  or  Channel         .    77 
Magellan's  Strait      .        .        .133 
Red  Sea  and  Persian  Gulf  sur- 
veyed by  Baffin     .        .    262,  264 
"Susan,"  ship  in  first  voyage  of 

the  E.I.C.       ....  197 
sent  to  Priaman  for  pepper     .  205 
SuUon-(it-JIone         ....  196 
"Stoiillow."  Queen's  ship,  Richard 

Hawkins 75 

"  Swan,"    one    of    the    ships    in 

Drake's  expedition       .        .  101 
Sloan,  Captain,  E.I.C.  sliip  "  Roe- 

buck" 264 

"  SiW/<sitre,"  Queen's  ship      .        .    75 

Tabin,  Cape  (see  Pliny). 

Table  Bay 286 

E.IC.  fleet  in   ....  201 

"  Tiger  "at        .        .        .  215 

(See  Saldanha  Bay.) 
Telescope  (see  Jansen). 

Tenassei'bn 192 

Terctira,  prize  captured  off    .        .83 

one  of  the  Azores      .        .       84,  85 
Thomas,  John,  mutineer         .        .  230 

seized  Hudson  .        .        .   231,  232 
"  Tliomasine,"  ship  in  Spitzbergen 

voyage,  Baffin  pilot       ,        .  254 

off  Hakluyt  Head     .        .        .255 

return 255 

"  J7ioji»as^nen,"shipinFrobisher'8 

third  voyage  .        .        ,        .23 
Thome,  Dr.,  letter  on  trade  with 

India 105 

Tide  Table  by  Davis         .         .         .160 
Tides  in  Hudson's  Bay    ,        .        .  243 

observed  by  Baffin  .        .       .261 


PAGE 

Tierra  del  Fuego,  named  by  Magel- 
lan   94 

natives 128 

^^  Tiger,"  Captain    Joseph's    ship, 

Spitzbergen  voyage       .        .  252 
"  77£/ej-,"8liipof  Sir  E.  Michelbome, 

Davis  pilot  ....  214 
voyage  to  the  East  Indies  .  215 
off  Sumatra  ....  216 
fall  in  with  Japanese  pirates 

218,  219 
mnidcr  of  Captain  Davis         .  221 

return 221 

"■^Tiger's  Whelp"      .        .        .        .214 
rejoined  her  consort         .        .  216 
Tiku,  pepper  mart  in  Sumatra      .  206 
sailing  directions  for        .        .  217 
ro()in«.  Captain ,  of  the  ^'  Black  Pin- 
nace," with  D.ivis  .        .        .116 
discovered  a  safe  anchorage    .  122 
Tobias  Bay       ....    122,  123 

(See  Mazaredo  Bay.) 
Toledo,  Don  Francisco  de,  Viceroy 

of  Peru 1 04 

sentoutSarmiento'sexpedition  105 
Toledo,  Francisco,  in  command  of 

"San  Feli/ie"         .         .         .     73 
Tw  Bay,   Dutch  ships  at  anchor 

in 185 

E.I.C.  fleet  in    .        .        .        .200 

Totnes 4 

Davis  probably  at  school  at     9,  31 
Totnes  Road,  on  western   side  of 

Davis  Strait  .        .        .        .41 

Towerson,  Mr 29 

Toimishend,  Roger,  captain  of  "Ark 

Royal " 75 

knighted 79 

"  Trade's  Increase"  large  ship  of 

E.I.C 209 

ritiJisy/rrrnKS,  Maximilian,  account 

of  Masrellau's  voyage     .  100,  114 
Traverse  Book  (see  Log  Book). 

Tringano 218 

"  Trinidad,"    ship    in    Magellan's 

fleet 93 

Trinity  House,  master  and  brethren 
helped  Luke  Fox  in  fitting 

out 239 

"  Triumph,"  one  of  the  five  ships 
designed  by  Sir  John  Ilaw- 
kuis 74 


INDEX. 


299 


PAGE 

"  Tritimph,"  Sir  Martin  Frobislier 

in  command .         .        .        .75 
enpraged,      with      tlic      "  Aik 
Soi/al "   ,        .        .        .       78,  79 

"  UggeraSalvagnia"  prizeof  Davis ; 

lawsuit  as  to .         ,         .         .01 

Ulloa,  Francisco  de,  sent  by  Val- 
divia  to  reconuoiti  e  Magel- 
lan's Strait     .        .        .        .    9S 

Vngava  Bay,  sbown  on  Mercator's 

m.ip 28 

Cnrlereal  possibly  reax^lied      .     65 

Vrdaneta,  a  friar  of  Mexico  who 
claimed  that  he  had  made 
tlie  N.W.P.    ....     27 

Vald(z,  Diego  Flores  de,  Castilian 

admiral 73 

in  command  of  a  fleet  to  escort 
Sarmiento      ....  107 
Valdez,  Pedro  de,  in  command  of 

the  Andalusian  squadron     .     73 
his  ship  disabled       .        .        .78 
Yaldivia,  Pedro  de,  conqueror  of 

Chile 98 

Yaldivia,  town  in  Chile  .       98,  99 
Variation  of  the  compass,  observed 

by  Columbus  .  .  .  145 
observed  by  Davis  .  .  ,59 
series  observed  at  London  .  59 
observed  by  Baffin  in  Smith 

Sound 261 

Vaz,  Lopez,  historian,  captured  by 

the  English   .        .        .    109,  114 
Venice,  publication  of  narrative  and 

map  of  the  Zeni  at        .        .17 
Ventendona,  Martin  de,  leader  of 
the  Italian  contingent  in  the 
Spanish  Armada    .        .        .73 
Ventry  Bay,  arrival  of  the  Earl  of 

Cumberland  at      .        .        .90 
Vera,  Pedro  de,  captain  in  the  fleet 

of  Loaysa       .        .        .        .96 

Veere,  town  in  Zeeland   .        .        .  179 

Moucheron  settled  at       .        .  181 

notice  of 180 

Vere,  Sir  Francis     ....      4 
at  Cadiz  and  Azores         •        .  177 
his   report   on    tlie  Intended 
voyage    of    the    Dutch    to 
India      ....   178,  181 


TAOe 

VfspuKius,  Amerigo,  never  went 

south  of  the  Hiver  Plato       .  127 
■"  Victory,"  sliip  designed  by  Sir  J. 

Hawkins        .        .        .        .74 
Sir  J.  Hawkins  in  command  of    75 

in  action 79 

lent  to  the  Earl  of  Cumberland    81 
visited  by  leading  men  of  Horta    87 
ciiptured  a  piizc  off  Graciosa  .     88 
suffuiings  of  the  crew  on  p;is- 
t-age  home      .        .        .        .90 
"  fic^orid,"  ship  in  Magellan's  fleet    93 
first    to    ciixsuiuuuvigate    tlie 
globe      .        .        .        .95,  100 
Villahbns,  Juan  de,  in  expedition 

of  Saiiniento.         .         .         .  105 
Viediiui^  Andres  de,  in  comin:ind  of 

colonists  in  Magellan's  Strait  107 

his  attempt  to  save  the  settlers  111 

Vinland  of  the  Norsemen       .        .     CS 

Virginia 4 

Raleigh's  expeditious  to  .  .32 
Heriot's  account  of  .  .  .  150 
Virgins,  Cape,  named  by  Magel- 
lan. .  ,  .  94,  90,  99 
sighted  by  Drake  .  .  .  101 
passed  by  Sarmiento  .  .106 
ship  of  Captain  Merrick  off  .  113 
sighted  by  Davis  120,  124,  128,  134 
described 121 

Wadditon,  on  the  Dart  ...      6 
Richard  Holway  of  .        .         9,  12 

Ad:tms  of 12 

Wagenaar,  his  "  Mariner's  Minor  "  183 

Walcheren 179 

Walker,  W.,  mentioned  the  ser- 
vices of  Davis  to  tlie  Dutch, 
in  his  translation  of  the  voy- 
age of  Jacob  Neck  .  .  194 
Walsingham,  Sir  Francis,  Secretary 
of  State,  at  Dr.  Dee's  house 
at  Mortlake  .  .  .  .14 
conference  with  Dr.  Deo,  Davis 

and  Gilbert  .  .  .  15  to  29 
convinced  of  the  value  of  Arc- 
tic discovery .  .  .  .29 
patron  of  tlio  voyage  of  Davis  83,  34 
report  of  Davis  to,  on  his  re- 
turn .  .  .  .43,  225 
encouraged  the  third  attempt  63 
l.is  death  a  great  loss    65,  172, 184 


300 


INDEX. 


42 


61 


36 


128 


145 
145 


268 


PAOE 

WaUingham,  Cape,  so  named  by 

Diivis 

Warden,  John,  master's  mate  with 

James ;  death  .  .  .  245 
"  Wanpile,"  Raleigli's  ship  at  Cadiz  177 
Warwick,  Earl  of,  patron  of  Davis  34 
WCirwick's    Foreland    named    by 

Davis 

Wati,  Robert,  carpenter  in  Davis's 

Arctic  voyage 
Weert,  Sibald,  sigh  ted  the  Falkland 

Islands 

(See  Sehaldiiics.) 
Werner  first  described  the  crosS' 

staff 

suggested  lunar  observations 
Westcote's  Devou;  Faith  mentioned 

as  daughter  of  Sir  J.  Fulford 

and  wife  of  Davis . 
West  Indies,  voyage  of  Hawkins  7,  171 
voyage  of  Raleigh  to         .        .11 
Lancaster  lost  his  ship  in        .  196 
Weston,  Lord,  his  foreland,  named 

by  Fox 243 

IVTiale  Sound  in  Baffin's  Bay  .        .  259 
W/iales,  many  seen  by  the  "  Sun- 
shine"     38 

Basque  sailors  experienced  in 
.  catching         .        .        .38,  252 
Wheele,    Paul,    in    expedition    of 

Chudleigh  .  .  .  .112 
"  White  Sear,"  Queen's  ship  de 

signed  by  Hawkins 
Lord  Sheffield  captain 
following  the  Spanish  fleet 
in  action    .... 
White  Sea,  voyages  to      .        .7,  13,  26 
Whitehall,  map  of  Sebastian  Cabot 

in  the  privy  gallery  at .  .15 
"  White  Lion,"  ship  in  Chudleigh's 

expedition  ....  Ill 
Wight,  Isle  6f,  action  with  Spanish 

fleet  off 79 

"  Wild  Man,"  Chudleigh's  ship  in 

the  Strait  of  Magellan  .  .  112 
Wdlouyhhy,  Sir  Hugh,  voyage  of  16, 171 
Willoughby  Land  .  .  .  .16 
Willoughby,     Loid,     fighting    the 

Spaniards  at  Bergen  op  Zoom    74 
Wilson,  Wm.,  boatswain  in  Hud- 
son's last  voyage  .       .        .  230 
one  of  the  mutineers       .  230,  232 


PAGB 

Winter,  Sir  John,  a  forest  named 

after,  by  James     .        .        .  245 
Winter-,  Sir  William,  in  command 

of  the  "  Vanguard"      .        .     75 
in  the  "Elizabeth  "  in  Drake's 

voyage 101 

discovered  Wuiter's  bark         .  102 
with  Sir  F.  Vere  in  the  "  Island 
Voyage"         .        .        .        .177 
Winter's  hark    ....  102,  103 
described  by  Forster    102,121,122 
Witherington,    Rt.,    in    command 
of  a  ship  sent  to  the  South 
Sea  by  the  Earl  of  Cumber- 
laud        109 

Wolstenholme,  Sir  John,  patron  of 

Fox's  voyage         .        .        .  239 
patron  of  Baffin's  voyage        .  256 
Baffin's  letter  to,  in  Purchas  .  216 
Wolstenholme  Sound  in  Baffin's  Bay  259 
Women  Islands  in  Baffin's  Bay       .  258 
Woodhouse,    Thomas,    mathemati- 
cian with  Hudson         .        .  229 
set  adrift  by  the  mtitineers     .  331 
"  World's    Hydrographical    Discov- 
ery,"       .        .    169,  175,  225,  268 
Wright,  Kdward,  the  gruat  mathe- 
matician        .        .        .        .64 
in  the  expedition  of  the  Earl 
of  Cumberland  to  the  Azores; 
historian  of  the  voyage  80,  87, 268 
chased  by  a  great  fish  at  Flores    83 
meeting  with  John  Davis  at 

Fayal 87 

construction  of  table  of  meri- 
dional parts   .        .     83,  141,  163 

notice  of 154 

improvement  of  charts    .   154,  155 
his  "  Correction  of  Certain  Er- 
rors in  Navigation  "      .        .155 
new  map  of  the  world  (1599) 
attributed  to          ,        .        .  168 
Wyche's  Sound,  furthest  point  of 
Baffin  on  the  north  coast  of 
Spitzbergen   ....  254 
Wylson,  John,  captain  of  the  Dart- 
mouth ship  "  Crescent"  fitted 
out  against  the  Spanish  Ar- 
mada       77 

Yonge,  Mr.,  merchant  of  London, 

at  the  Mortlake  interview   .    29 


INDEX. 


301 


PAGE 

Yorke,  Gilbert,  in  Frobislier's  Arctic 

voyage 22 

Toung,  James,  mate  in  Hudson's 

ship 227 

Zamorano,  Spanish  writer  on  na- 
vigation        ....  150 
Zeeland,  towns  of    .        .        .    179,  180 
voyage  to  India  fiom       .   178,  184 


PAon 
2e7io,  Antonio,  Toyage  to  the  North    19 
CoJ'/o,  letters  from  his  brothers  to  19 
Nicola,  joined  his  brother  An- 
tonio ill  Frislaud  .        .        .19 
Nicola  (the  younger),  publica- 
tion of  letters  of  his  ances- 
tors and  a  map  at  Venice     .     18 

Zeno  map 20 

confusion  caused  by  20,  24,  05 


THE   END, 


THE 

WORLD'S  GREAT  EXPLORERS 
AND  EXPLORATIONS. 


EDITED   BY 


J.  SCOTT  KELTIE, 

Librarian,  Royal  Geographical  Society ; 

H.  J.  MACKINDER,  M.A., 

Reader  in  Geography  at  the   University  of  Oxford  ^ 

AND 

E.  G.  RAVENSTEIN,  F.R.G.S. 


UNDER  this  title  Messrs.  DODD  MEAD  & 
COMPANY  propose  to  issue  a  series  of 
volumes  dealing  with  the  life  and  work  of  those 
heroic  adventurers  through  whose  exertions  the 
face  of  the  earth  has  been  made  known  to  humanity. 
Each  volume  will,  so  far  as  the  ground  covered 
admits,  deal  mainly  with  one  prominent  name 
associated  with  some  particular  region,  and  will 
tell  the  story  of  his  life  and  adventures,  and 
describe  the  work  which  he  accomplished  in  the 
service  of  geographical  discovery.  The  aim  will 
be  to  do  ample  justice  to  geographical  results, 
while  the  personality  of  the  explorer  is  never  lost 


sight  of.  In  a  few  cases  in  which  the  work  of 
discovery  cannot  be  possibly  associated  with  the 
name  of  any  single  explorer,  some  departure  from 
this  plan  may  be  unavoidable,  but  it  will  be  fol- 
lowed as  far  as  practicable.  In  each  case  the  exact 
relation  of  the  work  accomplished  by  each  explorer 
to  what  went  before  and  what  followed  after,  will 
be  pointed  out ;  so  that  each  volume  will  be 
virtually  an  account  of  the  exploration  of  the 
region  with  which  it  deals.  Though  it  will  not  be 
sought  to  make  the  various  volumes  dovetail 
exactly  into  each  other,  it  is  hoped  that  when  the 
series  is  concluded,  it  will  form  a  fairly  complete 
Biographical  History  of  Geographical  Discovery. 

Each  volume  will  be  written  by  a  recognised 
authority  on  his  subject,  and  will  be  amply  fur- 
nished with  specially  prepared  maps,  portraits,  and 
other  original  illustrations. 

While  the  names  of  the  writers  whose  co-opera- 
tion has  been  secured  are  an  indication  of  the  high 
standard  aimed  at  from  a  literary  and  scientific 
point  of  view,  the  series  will  be  essentially  a 
popular  one,  appealing  to  the  great  mass  of  general 
readers,  young  and  old,  who  have  always  shown  a 
keen  interest  in  the  story  of  the  world's  explora- 
tion, when  well  told. 

While  the  first  volume  will  deal  with  explorers 
of  different  nationalities  in  the  early  days  of 
discovery,  it  is  proposed  to  add  several  devoted 
to  the  labors  of  eminent  Americans  who  have  at- 
tained prominence  in  that  fieW. 

Each  volume  will  consist  of  about  300  pp.  i2mo, 
and  will  be  published  at  $1.25. 


THE  FOLLOWING  VOL  UMES  ARE  EITHER  READ  Y  OR  ARE 
IN  AN  ADVANCED  STATE  OF  PREPARATION : 

JOHN  DAVIES, 

Arctic    Explorer  and   Early   India   Navigator.     By  Cle- 
ments R.  Markham,  C.B.,  F.R.S. 

PALESTINE. 

By  Major  C.  R.  Conder,  R.E.,  Leader  of   the   Palestine 
Exploring  Expeditions. 

JOHN   FRANKLIN   AND   THE   NORTH- 
WEST PASSAGE. 

By  Captain  Albert  Markham,  R.N. 

MAGELLAN  AND  THE  PACIFIC. 

By  Dr.  H.  H.  Guillemard,  author  of  "  The  Cruise  of  the 

Marchesa." 

SAUSSURE  AND  THE  ALPS. 

By  Douglas  W.  Freshfield,  Hon.  Sec.  Royal  Geograph- 
ical Society. 

MUNGO  PARK  AND  THE  NIGER. 

By  Joseph  Thomson,  author  of  "Through  Masai  Land," 
etc. 

THE   HIMALAYA. 

By  Lieut.-General  R.  Strachey,   R.E.,  C.S.I.,  late  Pre- 
sident of  the  R.G.S. 


LIVINGSTONE  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

By  H.  H.  Johnston,  H.B.M.,  Consul  at  Mozambique. 


ROSS   AND  THE   ANTARCTIC. 

By    II.  J.   Mackinder,   M.A.,   Reader  in   Geography  at 
Oxford. 

BRUCE  AND  THE   NILE. 

By  J.  Scott  Keltie,  Librarian,  R.G.S. 

VASCO   DE   GAMA   AND   THE   OCEAN 
HIGHWAY  TO  INDIA. 

By  E.  G,  Ravenstein,  F. R.G.S. 


OTHER  VOLUMES  TO  FOLLOW  WILL  DEAL  WITH 

HUMBOLDT  AND  SOUTH  AMERICA. 

BARENTS  AND  THE  N.  E.  PASSAGE. 

COLUMBUS  AND  HIS  SUCCESSORS. 

JACQUES  CARTIER  AND  CANADA. 

CAPTAIN  COOK  AND  AUSTRALASIA. 
MARCO  POLO  AND  CENTRAL  ASIA. 

IBN  BATUTA  AND  N.  AFRICA. 

LEIF  ERIKSON  AND  GREENLAND. 

DAMPIER  AND  THE  BUCCANEERS. 

ETC.        ETC.        ETC. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


OCT  6     1938 


JlL     SEP  2  7 


1977 


I. 


gicjHiyiG^-yR'- 


w 

JUN2  8 


Form  L-9-15m-2,'36 


1979 


ONIVEHSITY  of  CALIFO^ 

AT 


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A  TJ~erZ 


A  lif. 


3  1158  00196  499 


v~-       VV- 


,i![^,5°.U'''"ERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    001  165  497 


C3  8.ArG 


